A/N: I'm here for the weekend, so I'm able to post another chap, that is, this chap. Sorry it got delayed...ehehe
"Auntie Teggy! Auntie! Wake up, it's time for my lessons! WAKE UP, AUNTIE!!!!" An excited 5 year old screamed while jumping on the bed of Hellsing's leader, Integra Wingates Hellsing.
She rose from her bed, blinking at the fuzzy shape on her bed. Groping for her glasses she put them on to see better. It was Nicholas, the child who was adopted by her two vampire agents.
She wanted to groan and pull back the covers but her retreat was stopped by an old hand that gently brushed her shoulder as Walter set down the tea tray on the dark nightstand.
"I don't think Master Nicholas can wait much longer for you to properly wake up."
"No bloody shit." Integra cursed under her breath. She was always ill-tempered in the morning. Walter caught her words, chuckled and bustled out of the room. The child calmed down, seeing Integra's icy stare as she fumbled around to get dressed. He just sat on the bed very still and waited for Integra to get ready.
While she put on her clothes, Integra observed the youngster. He looked like a 7 year old, for he was tall for his small age. His ruffled sun-blonde hair shined in the morning light which streamed through gaps of the lace curtains.
His blue eyes were the colour of the sky, bright and happy, with a mischevious glint in their irises. The boy's smile was wide and goofy, his white teeth gleamed with surprising brightness. Nicholas was such a happy child, she could see that in him.
Ever since he was taken in by the nosferatus, Integra grew attached to the orphan. She couldn't believe it has been five years already since Seras had found him and begged her to let her keep him.
The young boy attended school, Integra made the matter strictly clear that he would get his education like every human in London. Since Nick was in a top secret organinazation, Integra and the two nosferatus took the role of giving the kid extra lessons in vampire lore and myths, like Integra's father had done with her when the Integra was only 13.
For such a young age, Integra pondered, he took everything in with great understanding and a surprising thrist for more of this knowledge. He was so eager to learn the ways of the organization, it was like he was guided here to Hellsing by God, like God knew that Integra was determined not to be deflowered.
"Auntie Teggy? Are you done? Can I look now?" Nick's little voice broke her thoughts and Integra's mouth twitched. The boy had turned around, how modest of him. This must be Seras's doing, God knows what Alucard would teach him if he got the chance...
"Yes, you may. We can go now." She answered and they went into the library, full of books long forgotten to the world, where today's lessons and tomorrow's lessons and so on, would be held.
The day turned to night and the sleeping dead awoke at these late hours. Down in the dungeons, Seras was playing hide-n-seek with little Nick.
"Mommy! I know you're here! I can feel you!" the small child jeered playfully as Seras hid herself in the shadowed corner of her small room. While Nick searched, Seras felt a hand on her shoulder pull her through the wall. She stifled a shriek and smacked her nose in a hard chest. A very familiar one.
"Master! You scared the bejeebies out of me! What if Nick thought someone was attacking us? Jesus!" Seras scolded her Master, while he just laughed at her paranoia.
"Honestly Seras, you act more like a mother hen ever since we got the young child. Loosen your screws." He retorted and laughed at her scowling face.
"Loosen your screws?! Where the hell have you been?" She replied with a quiet hiss which turned into a giggle. Hearing Alucard using street slangs was just too comical. Her giggles stopped when she heard a small cry from the neighbouring room. Seras gasped, tore out of her Master's arms and phased into her room where Nicholas sat on the stone floor, sniffling.
"Oh honey, I'm sorry. Please don't cry." She cooed as she went to pick him up. The sniffling turned into merry laughter as the child scrambled out of her reach and jumped in triumph.
Seras glared at the little trickster and clicked her tongue. Nick's laughter was soon lost in booming, deep laughter coming from behind the scowling nosferatu. Alucard emerged from his own room and was laughing with the child at Seras, scooping Nick up in his arms.
"Very good, Nicholas. Very good. You fooled your mother." Alucard praised while holding the five-year old with one arm.
"Then again, who couldn't fool her? You're too naive, Police Girl." Alucard teased, still chuckling. Seras said nothing but watched.
Nick beamed happily at his foster father and hugged Alucard's neck, squeezing him so tight that the No-Life-King went cross-eyed from the pressure. When he finally let go, Alucard sighed with relief. Seras was laughing silently now and it was the elder vampire's turn to glare.
"What comes around, goes around, Master!" Seras chided happily and moved to take the grateful boy from his arms. Nicholas was very sleepy now and closed his eyes the moment he was on Seras's shoulders.
There was a special made bed in her old room and her coffin bed was turned into a toy chest. Alucard's room being a rather spacious one (a fact Seras had complained about at once) had another coffin moved in for Seras.
She tucked him in and kissed his forehead, his eyes fluttered open and the boy smiled sleepily and yawned. "Night, Mommy, night, Father." he said to them and fell asleep again.
Ever since he was old enough to talk he called Seras ''Mommy" and Alucard "Daddy" or "Father", but Alucard insisted to the boy that he should be called Father. Nick eventually got used to it.
The two nosferatus were playing their role as parents to the boy and had to act like it in front of him. But when the child was asleep, they were distant from each other, if possible more than ever.
Seras was in her nightdress and Alucard in his grey pants and they both settled into their seperate coffins for a nap before the missions started to pour in. It was their routine, it killed time.
But Seras couldn't sleep, too much was on her mind. The last few years to be exact. She got up and out of her coffin, made her way to the cold bucket and poured a glass of blood. She sat on one of the chairs next to the table and was only starting to think when she saw Alucard draw up a chair beside her, drink in one hand.
"Seras..." Alucard began and paused. He stared straight ahead, gaze cold and distant.
"Master...?" Seras hoped he would say what was on his mind, she hoped he would say it first, to save her the pain of having to mention it.
He didn't say anything. He didn't know how to say it or what to say. Everything felt strange, unfamiliar, ever since Seras came with that stinky bundle in her arms.
"We've changed...Haven't we?" He finally said and took a gulp from his glass. Seras sat there, unmoving, frozen. She gave him a stiff nod. She didn't know why she was so afraid of it, why she didn't want to feel like this, like she wanted none of this to have happened, yet it was the best thing that has happened.
"And so has our status. Our Master-servant relantionship. That changed as well, hasn't it?"
Again, another stiff, frightened nod as a reply while he took another gulp of blood.
She couldn't pretend not to notice the unusual closeness, the sudden glances, the wonderful sensation she got when she caught a glimpse of his eyes behinde those glasses of his. The simple contact of his pearly white skin against her when they brushed up against each other.
He couldn't ignore them either. He couldn't pretend not to feel sommersaults in his gut when he saw Seras smiling, the monster if jealousy in his chest roared whenever she talked to another man, was it a solider, a commander or even Walter, he could feel it boiling inside him.
The possesivness he felt, she was his territory, those thoughts, those very dangerous thoughts of obsession etched in his mind, repeating themselves again and again it made him sick even to think.
They both struggled with these feelings like their whole life depended on denying these facts, these thoughts that rose inside them. Neither wanted to admit it. They had feelings for each other, plain and simple. They were aware of it, they knew it.
"It's...just...confusing. It'll pass." She whispered, more to reassure herself then to state it. She took a long draught from her glass.
"I am not so confident it is a phase, Police Girl."
"But surely you don't think that way of me!" Seras said nervously, then gulped the last drops of blood from her glass, then put her hands on her face. She peered at him through her fingers, watching his impassive face for any signs of emotion at all.
"Do you?"
Alucard remained motionless, his empty glass was held loosely in his hand. Alucard looked at her and it seemed his whole neck creaked from it's stiffness.
"Do you?" Alucard answered with her own question, now directed at her. She averted her gaze to her lap and fidgeted with her hands, thinking of what to say. Did she really? She didn't know how to answer such a complex question with only two simple words.
She looked back at him and opened her mouth to answer when a solider burst in, breathing heavily. He looked frightened, scared. But Seras couldn't tell whether if it was because he was in Alucard's room or if something horrible had happened. Alucard rose gracefully out of his seat his face grave and serious while he watched the man catch his breath.
"Seras, go see if Nicholas is alright." He ordered and vanished before the man could say what happened. Seras looked confused and scared.
"What's wrong? What happened?!" She asked, hysteria edging slowly into her voice. The solider looked pale and thought he had enough breath to tell the vampress what happened.
"Some...Freaks...Just broke...In. Started kiling...everyone...Screaming 'where's our little snack ? Give us the boy!' " The man breathed and leaned against the door frame. Seras gasped and vanished into thin air. She hurringly checked if Nicholas was still in his small bed.
At once her fears dispersed at the sight of the sleeping boy. But her relief did not stay for long. She heard shrill screams coming from the floor above and gunshots; a battle was going on up there and she had to protect him.
Alucard appeared moments later in Nicholas's room, his hair longer than his usual shoulder-length and it was unruly and crazy, sticking up at all odd angles, giving her Master an even more lunatic appearence. His eyes were wide and his grin was beyond insane. His dark vest was already stained with fresh blood, some covered his lower jaw.
"What's happening Master Alucard? Are Walter and Integra safe?" Seras questioned frantically. "Why are they here? Why do they want Nicholas?"
"Too bad you won't join me, Police Girl. They're putting up a very good fight." He laughed. Seras did not find any part of the situation funny. She was scared. Though she was a bit more powerful than before, she was scared for Nick. He was like her son. Seras thought of him as her son.
"Master! Why do they want Nicholas!? What the bloody hell is going on!!?" She yelled angrilly. Not only was she scared but being in the dark about this whole situation just pissed her off.
"My my, Police Girl. Such temper.." He answered with a deep dangerous voice, his grin wide and nasty. Seras blinked and Alucard was behind her, his bloodied chin and mouth were pressed against her face. "So delicious." He added with a whispering hiss, then vanished.
Seras growled and stamped her foot. Alucard just makes her blood boil! Through all the ruckas, Nicholas woke up, rubbing his eyes sleepily before he called out to Seras in that sweet little voice.
"Mommy? What's happening?"
Seras gasped and hurried to his bedside, she picked him up gingerly and opened her mouth to answer when the door was blasted off it's hinges and thrown across the room.
Three wild, pale men appeared, looking insane and ready to kill anything that moved. All three had black hair and Rambo-like clothing with bullets strapped across their chests and belts with pockets full of dynamite and gernades and other explosives.
Seras glared at the men and gave a low threatening growl. "What do you want, you flea-bitten scumbags?" Seras asked them baring her teeth at the intruders.
Nicholas had started to shake. He didn't know what was going on and the way Seras had talked to those funny-looking men frightened him, so he buried his head into her shoulder. Her hold on the child tightened.
The middle on of the threesome laughed, cold and rasping it was, as if his lungs couldn't catch enough air.
"Look at her! Thinking she's so tough! Hand over the lil' kid, eh? No one will get hurt."
"Don't piss me off and answer my bloody question!" Seras screeched and gave them a shivery glare.
"We want our snack back. His mother was a whore and mated with our Master. Now this bastard has been produced of our Master's good genes and he ordered us to get rid of it. Then you stole him. We want him back."
"You will not touch him and I won't give him back." She said, hoping her voice didn't sound shaky but strong and firm. Again the middle on cackled.
"You think you can stop us? We can finish you off in a second, you slimy whore." He gave a sickly crooked grin and grabbed a gernade from his belt, ready to pull off the top.
Seras bared her teeth and prepared for an attack. She would never let them have Nicholas. Never. This motherly instinct propelled her rage and most of her powers.
Seras didn't even get a chance for a counter-attack because a large red shape oozed from the ceiling, taking shape of the coat of her Master.
Silent relief rose within Seras's person, glad she wouldn't have to fight. She feared she would hurt the boy.
"Does the scum want to play?" Alucard cackled in his crazy state. "Let's play! A fair fight, you three and only me."
"Fair enough" said the middle guy. A wide grin twisted itself onto her Master's handsome face and he looked rather frightening to her. He didn't even turn around when he spoke the the Police Girl.
"Get Nick away from here Police Girl. They're playing with a big boy now."
Seras protested but a black tendril shot out from his coat and pushed her into the wall behind her, making her phase through it before contact. Next thing Seras knew, she was in a storage room. It was full of junk like old oak wardrobes, armoires, army uniforms and artillary.
"Mommy, who were those funny men? They didn't feel like vampires at all." The boy asked, looking up at the blonde vampire with big, curious eyes.
"They were just some people who don't like your father much." Seras answered with a serious smile. Inside she scoffed at her explanation. It was a disgusting, burdening lie. They were murderers, assasians who came for Nicholas, that's who they were.
"Why don't they like him? Father's a good vampire, right?" Nick questioned again, very puzzled. Seras snorted at the kid's statement about Alucard. That vampire didn't come even near to the 'good vampire' group.
"They just didn't like him. There are lots of people like them who don't like your Father." Seras replied.
Grumbling silently, she tried to locate the door. Nicholas shivered against her and sniffed. Seras stopped and looked at her infant.
"Mommy, why did Father make us leave?" He asked again, his voice almost brimming with sadness. "Doesn't he love us anymore?" She didn't answer, concetrating on finding the door. His question, however, made her think.
Love. How could she know if what she felt for him was love? This little word sprang up so many questions in her mind that she couldn't push them away and forget about them.
The fledging knew she would never get rid of the feelings, the thoughts, the sudden longings for his touch, the firey urges of excitement when she felt his breath on her neck, like before now. It made her shiver just recalling the feel of it. And his words...
"So delicious..." She whispered to herself, reveling in the effect the words had on her.
"Indeed, Police Girl." His deep baritone voice made her jump. Alucard appeared behind her, leaning against a wall ever so casually, like there was never a battle to begin with.
Seras noted that his coat and suit was gone and his white dress-shirt was completely stained with dark blood. The silence was overwhelming, enveloping them with cold clammy hands.
"Seems like you've finished Master."
Alucard looked down and grinned to his fledging's obvious statement. "Seems I have."
To avoid his eyes, Seras turned her attention to the room they resided in. The storage room was one of the smallest rooms in the Hellsing Manor, so despite the small distance between Seras and Alucard's being, they were still pretty close.
Other than this bittersweet fact, Seras tried to locate tht blasted door. Her red eyes searched the small room until they found a small crack of light behind a very large wardrobe. Seras sighed, barricaded in and not enough room for a portal. If she did that, the portal would suck eveything into it and demolish it, instead of transporting it.
On hearing Alucard's voice, Nicholas squirmed and tugged in Seras's hold. "Daddy! Daddy!" He yelled and struggled even harder. Finally Seras let go and set the impatient boy on the ground. Nick made a beeline for Alucard's knees and hugged them happily. Alucard looked confused at this sudden show of affection.
"You came back Daddy! You came back! I knew you loved us!" Nick kept repeating.
Love. It was a disgusting word and even more sickening emotion for him to feel. How could this little creature think he loved them?
Alucard picked up the little form around his knees and ruffled his blonde hair. Inside he wanted to scoff and wave his hand at such nonsense. The No-Life-King doesn't love anyone nor does he feel any affection towards Seras and the little kid.
Him love? Abusrd. Alucard didn't love. But his mind protested to such a lie, unearthing those bittersweet thoughts of Seras and her smile and her kitten-like attitude. When he was close to her to whisper in her ear teasing retorts or nasty jests. He wanted to feel that again.
When she accidently brushed against him on missions, when they taught Nicholas about vampire lore and played little childish games like Tag or Hide-n-seek.
Alucard put the child down and looked at the Police Girl who mimicked his position, leaning on the wall with one foot against it. Seras glanced at the heavy wardrobe and glared at it.
"Master and Walter are safe, the attack ceased. Seems like I killed thier commanding officer." Alucard informed the blonde after a moment's silence. Seras snapped her gaze to him, eyes widening slightly. She leaned foward eagerly, she wanted to hear more about what was happening.
She had totally forgotten about the suprise attack since she was trying to locate that bloody door. A dawning realization came upon her and made her want to gasp. Hadn't they said Nick's mother was human and his father a Master vampire?
"Master--"
"It took you long enough to notice, Police Girl." Alucard cut her off, grinning like the madman he was. Seras frowned. "You knew?"
"Of course. I felt his energy. Why do you think he says he 'feels' you everytime you two play hide-n-seek?"
Seras thought that was rather weird but she didn't feel anything abnormal about the small child. Alucard seemed pleased with this fact. He knew. It made Seras so angry at her master now. He knew this whole time and he didn't even think to drop a hint.
Nick ran along the room, happy he got his 'parents' in one place, no matter how cramped it was.
The vampires were an arm's length apart. Nick saw this and wondered why they never hugged each other like those other parents he saw at the park today when he was out with Walter.
Was there something wrong with his parents? Didn't they love each other?
Nick shook that last thought away. Of course they loved each other, maybe they were just afraid or embaressed. The little boy nodded, satisfied with this conclusion.
A sneaky, childish smile spread across his angelic face. He'll make them hug, then they'll see how nice it is. Yeah, then they would hug all the time.
Alucard and Seras stared at each other, forgetting there was a little kid in there with them. Seras couldn't stop gazing into those luscious eyes of his, they captured her own like prey. The gaze was intense and questioning and cackling at the same time. Just like Master, mad and jeering, all in one.
Nicholas sneaked behind Seras's knees and carefully positioned himself to put his plan in motion. Crouching, he pushed her fowards with all his strength.
Seras tumbled foward, her arms flailing about like windmills and she landed smack-dab into Alucard's chest. On reflex, her master caught her and pulled her up. She tried to regain her balance but her knees sort of buckled so she was just leaning more into his body for support, her body pushed softly aginast his. Finally she regained her balance and let out a breath of relief. "That sneaky little kid," she thought, "he'll get grounded for this."
Only then did she notice the exact closeness between her master and herself. "Thanks for catching me." Seras said, gazing into his deep eyes, drwoning herself in their depths. Alucard looked down at her and smirked devilishly at the flattered female in his arms.
"My pleasure, Police Girl." He replied. Alucard saw that whenever she was close to him like this, she was breathless. Like a trigger, the words of the little brat came to him. "I knew you loved us!" Is what he felt for her, love? His stomach was doing flips and spins just feeling her curvy body against his own, he'd never admit it though.
Of course he didn't love her, he was incapable of love. But seeing her this shaken up does make this situation a very good start for a nasty game. Here he grinned. Yes, it would be an interesting game to play.
"It is always a pleasure, Seras." he purred. Now he would let go of her and purposley let her fall. Only, his arms wouldn't obey him and without thinking, his head descended to her and met her lips with a passionete kiss. Alucard was mentally baffled. He had no control over his body; What the fuck is going on?!
She was about to slink away from his lovely embrace when he leaned down to kiss her, rendering her senseless. She had to lean further aginst him for support because if she used her legs she would definately fall. If he let her go now, she'd melt into a puddle of jello. Still, Seras couldn't believe he was kissing her. Seras returned the kiss, shyly at first but her master's lips carassed her own so gently, she got a little more confident and put more passion into her replying kiss.
Nicholas was in a dark corner, dancing silently and happily, for his plan worked. They were hugging each other! Now, Nick felt very sure that his parent would see how nice it was and do it more often.
A/N: I'll update next time. To not mention it in the next chap, they get out of the storage room, Seras forgot she could phase out. ...Well...she is a blonde, ne? lol.