As Nathan carefully climbed the stairs leading up to Katherine's new two-bedroom apartment, he took a long, deep breath to calm his excited nerves. The day had finally come, the day that he and Katherine went on their first date. When he had first learned that Katherine had moved back in with her mother temporarily, he had started planning how he would ask her out and what they would do if she said yes. It was a full week before he finally worked up the courage to call her, and even after he had asked, she had not said yes immediately.
"Now is not a good time for me, Nathan. I'm currently trying to sort out my living arrangements."
"Oh. Alright then," he had replied, not even bothering to hide the dejection he felt.
"But how about next week?" she proposed quickly, and so the date was set.
And now here he was, standing outside her door wearing his cleanest pair of jeans and his smart new leather jacket – an expense he had indulged in for this occasion. Nathan knocked on the door and stepped back to wait, listening to the movement inside the apartment. It was a few moments before he heard the soft patter of her feet as she walked up to the door and undid the lock, opening the door. She stood before him wearing a bright yellow, knee-length dress with a pale grey sweater and matching grey pumps. Her long dark hair was loose, with the sides clipped back, opening up her face.
Nathan was surprised by her image; never in all his years of knowing her had he seen her wear a dress, or wear her hair down for that matter. It was only after he had recovered from the initial shock of her appearance that he noted the faint shadows beneath her eyes and her sunken cheeks.
"Kit, are you alright? You look a bit ill," he said with concern, reaching out to touch her arm.
Before his hand could reach her, he heard a low growl come from directly behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, Nathan was startled to see a large, black dog, its beady eyes locked on him and its teeth bared in a menacing snarl. He instinctively took a step back.
"When did you get a dog, Kit?" he asked, keeping his gaze locked on the beast. Katherine did not reply to his question, and he finally glanced back at her to see her reaction. She was staring at him with one eyebrow raised in question.
"I didn't," she finally replied.
"But-"
The dog had vanished entirely, with no signs that anything had even been there. Nathan ran a hand through his hair, bewildered with what had just happened. Had he merely been seeing things? But how was that possible? He wasn't drunk or high – he wasn't the type to get involved with such things, and the dog had seemed so real.
"Never mind, I must have heard the television or something."
Katherine frowned, knowing well the television was not on, but decided to let the incident slide.
Nathan immediately snapped himself back to reality and waited while Katherine locked her apartment before the two of them headed down the stairs to his waiting car – the one he had spent years saving for.
"You finally got your car. It's nice," Katherine commented when she spotted the vehicle. Nathan sensed her compliment was genuine, though there was no excitement in her eyes as she surveyed the exterior. He shrugged it off, knowing that women rarely showed any interest in such things.
They drove to the fancy restaurant where Nathan had made a reservation – yet another special expense for the occasion. He had booked a table next to the window overlooking the Thames, a view Katherine seemed to greatly appreciate. Her response gladdened him, and he knew he had done the right thing choosing only the best. He could not afford to act the miser on tonight of all nights, because tonight was the night he finally confessed to Katherine.
He had pictured the scene perfectly; the fancy restaurant, fine food and wine, easy conversation that finally led to him telling Katherine how he had fallen for her the moment he first set eyes on her. He had taken great care in picking the restaurant; though it was expensive, it was the kind of place he could picture them returning to for anniversaries, and hopefully some day it would be the place where he proposed to her.
This picture-perfect dream, however, was dampened by the very object of his desire. Katherine casually replied to his questions, saying very little about work, but he could tell her attention was elsewhere. He would catch her staring out the window into the falling darkness during moments of silence, and she barely touched her small but dearly expensive meal.
"You look lovely tonight, Kit," he complimented, reaching across the table to touch her hand. The moment his skin made contact with hers, he sensed an unmistakable dark presence loom over him, and he twisted in his seat to look back. There was, of course, nothing there, and Nathan started to feel uneasy.
"What is it?" Katherine asked, confused by his behavior.
"It's nothing. Kit, there is something I must say to you," he started. Katherine focused her gaze on him, leaning forward slightly to show she was listening. He reached out for her hand once more, but again the moment he touched her, the dark threat was back. This time he saw a mass of swirling black shadows behind Katherine, covering her protectively. It seemed to growl at him, and tendrils of shadow shot out towards him, causing him to snap back in his chair. As soon as he released his hold of Katherine, the illusion was gone, and Nathan found everything as it should be. Katherine was frowning, her head tilted to the side as she regarded his pale, sweaty face.
"Nathan, are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I. . .no, I don't think I'm alright," he confessed, wiping his forehead with his napkin.
"What's the matter? Talk to me," she urged, reaching across the table to feel his face for fever; but Nathan would not let her touch him, afraid that any contact with her would bring back the darkness.
"What did that place do to you, Kit?"
"What are you talking about?"
"First the dog now this. . ."
"Nathan, you're not making any sen-"
Katherine stopped mid-sentence, the realization finally dawning on her. Her eyes quickly scanned the restaurant, but did not find what she was looking for. She rose stiffly from her chair.
"Where are you going?" Nathan asked.
"Home. I'll get myself a cab, so don't worry. Thank you for dinner," she said before walking out, not allowing him to get another word in.
Once outside, she hailed a taxi and gave him her new address, telling the driver to step on it. She arrived at home ten minutes later, and within minutes of her entering her apartment, she was on the phone to the Hellsing manor. Walter answered the phone, as to be expected, and Katherine instantly demanded to speak with Alucard.
"I'll go look for him," Walter assured and she was left to wait, tapping her foot impatiently. Minutes later, Walter returned with the news that Alucard was nowhere to be found.
"Is he on a mission?"
"No, not as far as I know. He should be here somewhere, but I cannot seem to reach him."
"Where is he, Walter?!" Katherine demanded, annoyed with the vampire's convenient absence.
"I'm right here, Katherine," came his familiar voice from directly behind her. Her breath caught in her throat for a moment before she was able to interrupt Walter's apologies.
"Never mind Walter," she said before hanging up. Slowly she turned to face the ancient vampire, who by now had placed some distance between them out of respect for her wishes.
"What did you do, Alucard?"
"I don't know what you mean."
"You know very well what I mean. You were spying on me during my date."
"On a date, were you? May I ask with whom?"
"I'm not in the mood for games tonight. You were there. Nathan was scared out of his wits, and you are the only one I can think of who would do such a thing."
"Nathan? Well what did you expect from such a puny human being? He is not worth your time, Katherine."
She sighed, rubbing her temples in annoyance.
"Please don't do this to me now."
"Katherine, I only left the manor because I sensed you were looking for me. I was nowhere near you and your precious Nathan."
Katherine stared at him for a long moment, searching his face for any hint of deceit. Upon finding none, she sank into the couch, hanging her head.
"I know."
"How?"
Raising her head slightly to meet his gaze, she replied with a grim smile; "I pride myself on being able to detect your presence. . .most of the time," she quickly added when she saw his incredulous look.
"Something is happening to me, Alucard," she continued after a brief moment of silence. She did not meet his gaze, and this time it was him who replied knowingly with an "I know."
"What are you not telling me?" she asked seriously.
"You look beautiful tonight," he replied, eyeing her with admiration.
"That's not what I meant."
"I know what you meant."
"Well then?"
Silence. He was toying with her, dancing around her questions.
"I can feel myself changing, but I don't know what it is or even how to describe it. You know what's happening to me. Tell me," she begged.
"You are acquiring abilities beyond those of a normal human. I cannot say for sure what you'll be able to do once the transformation is complete, but I know that your new abilities will adapt to suit the circumstances."
"Circumstances? What are you talking about?" she asked, her mind filled with hundreds of questions. Alucard leaned forward, bringing his face close to hers.
"These abilities are for you protection. Look at what happened tonight with Nathan. You did not truly want to be with him, so on some unconscious level you did something to him to scare him off. It will be the same for every human you wish to repel."
It was a long time before Katherine was able to speak; she still did not quite grasp what Alucard was saying. He had caught her off guard with his talk of abilities and such.
"How did this happen?" she finally asked. Her question made Alucard take a step back, and his face became unreadable. When he refused to answer her question, she jumped right on to the next point.
"Take it back."
Alucard shook his head firmly.
"I cannot, and even if I could, I would not."
"Why not?!" she demanded hotly, rising to her feet to face him down; but Alucard was not playing by her rules anymore. His frustration with her fueled his anger.
"As long as you refuse to let me near you, you will require some means of protection."
"Why do you care?" she demanded, her own anger rising to the surface, matching his own. When he did not answer immediately, she continued:
"What was it that drew you to me? Was it my blood, hm? My virgin blood?! If that's all you want, then why didn't you just take it?"
"Stop it, Katherine," he warned, his voice low and threatening.
"I'm not afraid of you," she retorted sharply, looking him squarely in the eye. And it was true; she was not afraid of him. Her anger had forced out any fear she might have. Her time alone had given her courage, but she was taken aback by the complete opposite reaction as to what she had expected. Alucard's infamous grin flashed across his face, and he seemed pleased with her answer. Moving closer to her, he replied, "I am one of the most powerful vampires in existence. I can be quite scary at times." He paused and slowly raised his hand, gently raking his fingers through the hair at her temples.
"But you must never fear me, Katherine. Never. As long as I exist, I will not let a single hair on your precious head be disturbed; I swear it."
Alucard did not miss the sudden rise in her heart rate or the silent but sharp intake of breath. He saw the mixed emotions swirling in the depths of her eyes, before she said, "What about the time you attacked me?" Her voice rose slightly at the end of her sentence, showing the break in her confidence and resolve.
"Do you really believe I would have hurt you?"
"I don't know what to believe anymore," she replied, turning her back on him and walking over to the window. With shaky hands, she lifted the latch on the window and took a deep breath of the cool night air. Goosebumps rose up on her skin, something which Alucard did not fail to miss. He came up behind her and gently wrapped both his arms around her shoulders, drawing her into his chest and the folds of his cloak. She did not resist him, her hands coming up to hold his wrists.
"If you truly felt for me what I think you do, then you would know what to believe," he whispered. Katherine was unresponsive for a moment, and then with a sigh she pushed out of his embrace, closing the window once more and turning to face him.
"You talk about feelings as though they were an inconvenience. You're always dancing around the words, never actually telling me how you feel about me, yet you expect me to understand."
Alucard looked away, uncomfortable by the direction of the conversation. He knew what he felt, yet could not bring himself to voice his feelings. Katherine's presence in his life had already changed him so much; for him to take that giant step towards verbally confessing what he thought he felt was too much to ask. Katherine knew she was expecting much, and she knew that until they were able to be honest with one another, they would continue to be caught up in this constantly fluctuating relationship.
"I shouldn't have called you here tonight. I don't want to rely on you anymore, Alucard. Whatever happens from here, I will figure out for myself; so unless you have anything to add, you should leave."
Alucard looked at her, seeing the changed woman she was becoming. She definitely had more courage. He could tell she still cared for him, but she was no longer the starry-eyed, infatuated young woman he had first met. Her time at Hellsing had really chipped away some of her innocence and naivety. He found that he adored her even more for her growth.
With a slight nod of his head, he moved to leave, but before he did, he reached out and tenderly stroked her cheek.
"Never forget my promise," he reminded softly before disappearing into the night.