Authoress: Uh… one of my reviewers threatened me. Wow… I didn't know anyone liked this story that much. Well, I have no excuse… except life.
Alucard: Um.. I'm dead.

Authoress: Shut up..

Disclaimer: I still don't own anything… really.

I'm Not Asking for an Accomplice

Chapter 3: Bullies Beware

Anyone who went to school knew there were bullies. Many freshmen knew that they looked much like piñatas to any upper-classman that had grown bored of the daily routine or needed some form of cheap entertainment. There were rarely exceptions to the rule. People were bullied and they just hoped when they got to the upper classes they too would be the highest on the food chain. Of course, there were some that didn't do it because they wished for entertainment. A few bullies are born from jealousy, vengeance, and just nastiness in general. Like a vampire and bloodlust, some bullies just need to be validated as a smarter and more powerful entity.

Of course, some bullies should make sure that those they bully don't have vampires as friends.

Almost four months had passed since Rachel started school and winter was starting to make its over-bearing presence known on the isle of Great Britain. People were bundling up and just trying to make it from place to place without losing feeling in their noses or ears. Snow covered the giant lawn of the Hellsing Manor and even the big brave Wild Geese mercenaries were more inclined to stay inside with a warm mug of some kind of spiked drink than relieve stress on the shooting range.

"Vampires don't feel the cold," Alucard had mentioned when questioned by a shivering Rachel as they waited for the car to pull around front. The jealous young woman had proceeded to grumble small curses under her breath, ignoring the grin on the immortal's face. It also didn't help that Seras chose that exact moment to go running across the lawn in her street clothes, joyously calling out that it was snowing. The young human girl then promptly told Alucard that when the snow was deep enough she was going to bury both of the vampires' coffins in it and force them to hibernate.

At school it wasn't any better. While she was used to a Missouri winter, it seemed England was quite different. It was farther north, much colder, and the wind seemed to be out to get her. Her friends were speaking of holiday vacation and it took the brunette American a minute to realize that there would be no break until the end of December. Oh yes, this was England. They didn't have Thanksgiving like they did in the States. Oh well, she would just have to endure a few more days of school.

Of course, it really wasn't hard to endure it at all. She was starting to love the curriculum. Having always been one to soak in knowledge like a very attentive sponge, she sat through her classes happily. The only class she seemed to have issues with was the Mythology, Folklore, & Legends class. Though when she had signed up she thought this would be a blast. It was only after did she realize that it was a multi-grade class and that SHE was also taking it.

Penni apparently had to get a liberal arts elective credit and this class just happened to fit into her schedule. If she was unhappy that she had to share her class with Rachel and about seven other students, she didn't show it. She was good at hiding her true emotions under that unbreakable mask of sickly sweetness.

Though Rachel was not sure how she had become Penni's little target for degrading insults and nasty, passive-aggressive quips, she guessed it had something to do with what happened a few weeks ago. Of course, Sean was involved and Cormina had been a witness as well.

- Flashback –

"Good Morning Students!" Two unbelievably cheery voices called over the intercom. The students at lunch rolled their eyes. It seemed that the twins were late today with their announcements. They were quick to explain that the maintenance men had been fixing up the intercom and phone system this morning.

"But no day will pass without my sister and sharing the important school news with our fellow Cattleby students!" Mary said with conviction. Terry gasped in happiness and a few students exchanged looked, knowing Terry was beaming with pride.

The two went on to spout the times for class meetings and sports practices that were scheduled for the day. It was a sunny and bright day, even though it was starting to cool down, and every club was going to take advantage of the nice day on campus. Many of the student body went back to eating lunch and talking amongst themselves.

Rachel, Sean, and Mina were all in line. Their trays were adorned with their typical favorites. Sean, surprisingly a vegetarian, had vegetables, some fruit, and yogurt. Mina, who followed her mother's Jewish side, ignored the cafeteria's blatant lack of a kosher menu and just stuck to fruit and a salad. There was no way to be anything but a carnivore in the Hellsing manor, so Rachel had a nice cut of ham and pineapple as well as some macaroni and cheese. She was questioned of her choices sometimes and she confessed that this stuff was a whole lot better than her school in Missouri.

Mason, Daisy, and Ray all had second rotation lunch. They would appear after class while the first three headed off to fourth period. When they had paid for their food the trio started for the door to the courtyard seating. It wouldn't hurt to enjoy the nice day and eat in peace.

Too bad peace was shattered by an all too familiar scene.

School lunch rooms were often crowded and getting by without bumping into someone could prove difficult. Sean was not above this branch of Murphy's Law. Just as he maneuvered around a table to make a beeline for the door outside, he crashed into a distinctly female body that had been trying to cut across his path. Really both parties were at fault, but while Sean tried to apologize Penni was enraged.

The boy with the dyed black and red hair really liked strawberry yogurt. Red fruit yogurt and a crème school uniform top do not mix well. Lunch tray with Sean's food plus Miss Popular's wardrobe equals a recipe for disaster.

"You little freak!" Penni screeched as the yogurt slopped down her front. People looked up, suddenly interested in something other than eating. Rachel made her way forward, she and Mina having been cut off from Sean by some passing students, and when she arrived the girl tried very hard not to laugh.
"H-hey, I'm sorry!" Sean tried to stammer out, but he wasn't given a chance.

"Look what you've done to my shirt! This is never going to come out! Watch where you are going next time you freshman nuisance," Penni growled as her friends came up and tried to dab at the yogurt discretely. The upper-classman fumed and screamed at them to stop. They seemed to only be making it worse. Sean was struck dumb, not sure what to do. Was it really that big of a deal?

Suddenly someone took action. A quick-thinking heroine moved forward and suddenly pushed her bottle of club-soda into the growling woman's hand. Looking up at her, Rachel gave a patient smile and pointed to the red stains.

"Club-soda, some elbow grease, and a whole lot less screaming should do the trick. Those stains will come out just fine," the young American said before turning and grabbing her friend's arm with her free one. Balancing her own tray in one hand, Rachel escorted Sean back into the lunch line, bought him new food and then headed outside. Mina trailed silently behind, smirking slightly behind her dark red hair. The three ate lunch outside in silence before Rachel made a joke about Sean finally getting a girl to notice him. He laughed and that seemed to break the tension enough so they could enjoy the rest of the meal and the school day.

- End Flashback –

'Well, I guess if someone was uber sensitive about appearances, I could see how that might boil you up. It is still a stupid reason to act like a snob with no regard for others of the "lower class",' Rachel mused to herself as she made her way toward her second class of the day. Biology, her first class in the morning, had been cancelled for the day due to an unfortunate accident with the Bunsen burning earlier that week. Mason swore he was innocent when interrogated by his friends, but there was a distinct scorch mark now permanent on one of his favorite shirts that made the rest of the group think otherwise.

The door opened and Rachel noted she was the first to show up. This was normal. The young woman was usually there before the teacher. She was never one to stick around in the hallways and talk up until the last second before the tardy bell. Setting her stuff down, she set out her mythologies book before taking a seat and plucking her gloves from her wiggling digits.

A pair of gloves from Seras, a scarf from Walter, and earmuffs from Integra adorned her winter weather warrior get-up. All three of them were quite British and told her that an English winter was nothing like one in the United States. All of the gifts were just accessories though, complimenting the soft fleece lined black coat that went to her shins. It had classy silver buttons up the front and on the cuffs as well as a nice modest collar. A belt around the middle even gave her a bit more curve when she buckled it. This was a gift from Alucard. He had been grinning while wrapping it around her.

"The English countryside has never seen a Romanian winter in the mountains," the vampire had mentioned with a wink before slinking off into the shadows.

Giggling to herself, she slipped the nice coat off and hung it over her chair. Flipping open the book, she was all too happy to see the next chapter they were covering. In big over-dramatic Gothic lettering was the word "Vampires" under the moniker "Chapter 7." Apparently this chapter covered many different myths and lore that brushed elbows with the undead. From the little Rachel glanced over they were going to touch on stories discovered in even Africa about beings that defied death in order to fulfill a longing that none could explain.

The teacher, Miss Quinn, walked in and nodded with a sunny smile as she set her own things down. Behind her other students began to trickle in little by little. There were only ten students taking this class, so Rachel knew they didn't have to wait long. However when number ten didn't show at the bell the teacher frowned.

"Where's Miss-" the woman began, but was interrupted by the very subject of the short conversation.

"I'm here! Sorry, Miss Penn. I was taking care of some Student Council business. You know how that can be so time consuming. I'm sorry I lost track of time!" Penni told the instructor with that obnoxiously sweet voice. She bat her eyes before gliding to her seat near the front.

Rachel felt a tap on her elbow and looked over at Jetta. Jetta was a meek girl that excelled in studies, but tended to lack in the social department. She was a year younger than most because she skipped a grade when she was younger and making friends was a difficult bullet point to tackle on her agenda. Rachel was nice to her, having sat next to her the first day of the class. The two became fast friends and the brunette was glad for at least one ally in the class. For Penni had brought a lot of her friends into this class, the popular little tarts not wanting to be too far from the queen bee.

"She wasn't working on student council things," Jetta mentioned with a small frown, "I passed her on my way here. She was at her locker applying more make-up and talking on her phone to someone."

With a roll of her eyes, Rachel nodded before looking back to her book. What did she expect from the girl she had come to genuinely dislike? And it wasn't for lack of trying to ignore the small snipes and obvious glares. After the incident in the lunch room Rachel had truly tried to put it out her mind, but thanks to second period she was not able to forget that she had knocked little miss princess' crown slightly askew. Apparently the punishment for that was death… socially speaking.

"Alright class," Miss Quinn began to speak, "We will be discussing the chapters on vampires today and I would like to just start off with a conversation about what you think you know about the subject."

Politely, but not over-enthusiastically Rachel began to raise her hand. She was beaten to the punch however when a certain thorn in her side jumped into the conversation. Apparently the princess didn't need any permission to speak. It wasn't the interruption however that made Rachel's blood boil. It was what she said next.

"Vampires are romantically dark creatures portrayed often as beautiful people driven by lust and hunger. Their visage represents a heated and sinful nature that is so taboo it draws in men and women alike. They are the epitome of immortal entanglement and forbidden love. Because they feel they are forsaken by God they are not allowed to be happy and enjoy the good things that come with living. Never are they supposed to be with the living because they would only crush it like one does when he holds a flower too tight," Penni explained. Halfway through her voice took on a swooning note and her friends watched her with small smiles. She was such an actress.

Miss Quinn blinked a few times, wondering where all that had come from. Rachel smirked. Though the girl was annoying, she wasn't an idiot. Penni could turn a phrase and knew how to use her words eloquently enough to charm many into her favor. That's how charismatic leaders get away with so much. Too bad this time her words were just pretty… not well thought out.

"If I may," Rachel began after putting her hand down, "What you have just described is how the media, movies, and current books portray vampires. The popular trite being pumped out at alarming speeds and volume is not based very well in the folklore and myths that we are reading."

The teacher seemed to beam slightly as the young brunette took over the conversation. It was obvious she wanted to set some kind of record straight about vampires. Miss Quinn wondered if Rachel had already read the chapter.

"Though Ann Rice and Stephanie Meyer might be figureheads in the popular lore of vampires, they are by no means the leading experts. Many stories, dating as far back as the infamous Vlad the Impaler/ Dracula and even those before him, all convey vampires as hunger driven creatures of carnage and death. They seek out only to steal life from the living, not seduce them into their beds. Though the first accounts don't actually speak of blood, later stories assumed the 'essence of life' was probably more akin to blood than anything else. I believe people like the blood-sucking thing because the neck is an erogenous zone for so many," Rachel said with a small chuckle. Before Penni could defend her case, Rachel continued.

"Furthermore, almost none of the original myths and folklore testify to forbidden, lost, or taboo love of any kind. Bram Stoker, who I would like to point out was a horror novelist, presented Mina Harker as a specimen of innocence and chastity. She was something Dracula could never have. Many people forget that Lucy and Renfield were murdered and the Count had three lusty brides already. Audiences want to focus on this so-called forbidden romance. I would also like to mention that in the book Mina is the direct downfall of the Count. Plus, that horrific Keanu Reeves 'Dracula' movie barely followed the book at all. People should stop trying to humanize vampires, because that's not what they are. If anything they are a higher species than humans and we would do well to fear them, not idolize them as sex gods," Rachel concluded with a small grin. For some reason she felt very proud of herself. She wouldn't say she was an expert in these things, but she could say she could get the facts straight from the horse's fanged mouth, so to speak.

"Of course," she added with a soft smile, "This is what our myths are speaking of. Times have changed and you never know; vampires might actually have changed with the times. If they do exist they might be trying to live as close to normal as possible."

Though she had somewhat contradicted herself, she wanted to pay some respect to the vampires she had come to love as a family. In the back of her mind she was thinking of her master, but mostly of Seras. The fledgling vampire often tried so hard to be as normal as possible; no matter how many times her master told her that she would never be even close to human again. Rachel and the younger vampire were not that terribly far apart in age and the human could often be found in Seras' room talking with her about girly things that Alucard scoffed at. The young girl hoped she had helped Seras keep that small bit of humanity she craved.

"Well, wasn't that cynical," came a sharp retort. The jab speared through Rachel's thoughts like a razor point and suddenly the girl was staring at the narrowed eyes of Penni. The girl rose a brow, wondering if the queen bee thought she could scare the freshman that way. Compared to one of Integra's glares it was practically a smile.

Miss Quinn noted the strange tension and quickly wrangled the class in, directing their attention to the chapter in the book. She decided that maybe an open discussion about this subject wasn't such a good idea. She proceeded to explain that the word 'vampire' was more of an umbrella term. This chapter spoke of the different creatures and monsters that have appeared in the myths and legends of the past. These were creatures that usually stole life – through a variety of means – from the living. There was one story about a spider-like god that would lure people to him with a web of illusions and then drink their soul from their body. Another story spoke of ghoul-like creatures in ancient Mongolia that would seek out humans to steal their hearts for their warmth because they were no longer alive. An ancient Japanese myth spoke of some creatures that would steal the breath of the living while they slept if they left the windows open during a full moon.

So really 'Vampires' was just a title that would make someone look twice. Apparently many of the girls in the class were disappointed. The two boys that had picked this class to cover a missing credit rolled their eyes and one even asked if there was a more action-packed chapter. Rachel chuckled softly, oddly reminded of someone.

The class ended a little while later. Though they all seemed a little more educated in the myths of monsters, Rachel and Jetta seemed to be the only ones that had soaked it in completely. The two freshmen gathered their things and Rachel blushed under the compliments showered from Jetta about her argument at the beginning.

"I just don't believe in sparkly vampires, that's all," Rachel told the younger girl with a small smile. She headed for the door and just as she stepped out she was halted. The imposing structure of Penni stood in her path down the hallway path. Obviously her argument had not been appreciated. Looking over her shoulder, she noted that she did have an escape plan if she wanted to run the other way for some reason. Penni was blocking the direct path to her next class and on top of that Rachel would not back down in fear. She would make Alucard proud.

Flanked on both sides by her friends, Penni's normally over-dramatically sparkling eyes were very narrow and it seemed a good amount of her anger was directed at the young brunette. Raising a brow in a rather Integra fashion, the younger girl said nothing and let the upper-classman proceed if she wished into some kind of tirade. There was a long silence before Penni spoke icily.

"Watch your back, little mouse. That's the last time you make me look like a fool," the taller female almost hissed before turning and heading off with her posse. The hallway was then very vacant. The only figures left were that of a very stunned little, meek girl and a grinning Rachel. Jetta looked to the American and was about to ask is she was ok or if she was worried. The girl blinked a few times because on Rachel's face was a very strange grin.

Yeah, if Alucard was there he would be very proud. Rachel's only thought was, 'This could be fun.'

Well, it only got interesting from there. November was starting to finish up and Rachel told herself she could make it to the holidays without a problem. Then after the vacation everything would be alright. People always cooled off after the New Year. Too bad she was barely given a week to fully believe that.

"Talk about juvenile," Rachel commented as she looked over her vandalized locker with a raised brow on Monday Morning. Someone had taken a bright bottle of deep red spray paint and had artfully drawn a round cartoon mouse on the door. She was thankful that they had not been able to get into the locker and that Alucard was not inside.

After a few weeks of the bat hanging out in the girl's locker, sleeping or entertaining himself by listening to conversations in the hall, Integra noticed the older vampire's absence. Needless to say he was ordered back to the manor. He was not allowed to go to Rachel's school unless given permission. And there were not a lot of reasons for the vampire to visit a high school.

The brunette knew that if Alucard had been present during the vandalizing, the culprit would probably not live to regret it. Rachel shrugged and mentioned that it looked funny. An administrator then assigned a janitorial employee to wash the locker. Rachel didn't show any sign of caring either way. Even though she knew exactly who gave the order to paint her locker, the girl didn't say anything. She would not let this petty anger get to her.

On Tuesday her lunch card went missing. She could have sworn in her pocket when she got in line and those three girls pushed past her. With a small embarrassed blush she tried to explain to the cashier woman that she didn't have her card on her. Sean smiled and told he would get her lunch today. Later she went to the office and spent a simple five dollar fine for losing the card and getting a replacement. Rachel shrugged off the charge. It was not like Hellsing was lacking in funds

"You know you should tell them to also change your number. Someone is going to try and use that number and you know who," Sean whispered to her as they passed Penni's table. They had a peculiar pile of candy and soda in front of them. Rachel consented and later requested that the office change her account number.

Wednesday was full of small threatening notes in her locker. Particular names like "Bloody Yankee" and "Illiterate Whelp" showed up in the messages, but there was no directly threat of violence. Rachel simply crumpled them up and threw them away with a shrug. After listening to true stories of mindless flesh eating ghouls and murdering FREAK chip vampires, how could a bunch of high school idiots be scary?

These incidents only served to vex Rachel, but not erode her nerves. It was the last two days that had been the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. Throughout the whole thing, even the threatening notes, she had told herself that she would be fine. She knew exactly who was to blame, but she played the graceful soul and continued to ignore the obvious bullying. Mason was about to start a fight with someone and Sean was ready to report the problems, but Rachel told them both that she would be alright. Then Thursday….

"Oh no," Rachel gasped as she looked through her locker in a panic. Though she was throwing her bag to the floor and emptying the whole locker, it was not needed. It was terribly easy to see what was missing. Where a beautiful sleek black coat with gleaming silver buttons once hung there was empty space. She had worn it to school, happily wrapped in the warmth that smelled of gun-powder and wine. She had hung it up and gone to class. As she opened her locker to change out her books for the other part of the day, she saw the coat was gone.

Inspecting the door she noted that the lock had not been broken or anything. That meant someone had gotten a hold of her combination. She looked forlornly at the empty coat hook before closing her locker and hanging her head.

"Wow, little mouse, you look like you've lost something," came a snide voice nearby. Rachel didn't even look up at the owner of the voice. She turned and headed for her next class. Instead of bowing her head in defeat however, she just held her head up and walked on, effectively ignoring the upper classman. Penni didn't seem to like that, growling as the proud brunette left the hallway silently.

Later Rachel had reported the stolen item to the office, but a lot of good they could do. There was no evidence her locker had been broken into and all they could do was tell people to be on the look out for the coat. An administrator told her that she had probably just left it in a classroom or something. Rachel growled and stormed off, knowing they were not going to do anything.

As soon as Walter arrived in the car, Rachel scurried across the side-walk and practically jumped into the car, wrapping her arms around herself. She was wearing only the scarf, gloves, and earmuffs. Her coat was mysteriously missing. The retainer rose a brow and drove her home, not questioning the lack of attire.

"I-I left it in a class and when I went back to get it, they had locked the door already. It's alright, I'll get it tomorrow," Rachel told Integra lamely with a soft and shaky smile. Then she made some excuse about homework and hurried off to her room in the dungeons. She would

"She's lying," Integra mentioned softly. The swirling mass of shadows behind her agreed.

Integra let Rachel borrow a simple dark green coat the next day on the way to school. Rachel refused to let her sadness show. She would not let that snotty girl know she was bothered or beaten. Holding her sadness in, Rachel continued the day, smiling as if nothing was wrong. There was another note in her locker, but she ignored it and just went to class. When she passed Penni, the older girl grinned in triumph, but the small brunette paid her no attention and gave her no inkling to the upper-classman. Break was right around the corner and this whole affair would be behind them.

Unfortunately, everything wasn't complete just yet.

Though it felt like it was never going to end, the day drew to a close. The last bell of Friday rang and released the students for weekend revelry and winter madness. Sean told Rachel to cheer up. Next week they would get their revenge somehow.

"Mason is thinking up a good plan and Mina and I are going to go looking for your coat. She says she can get a hold of some of those jerks' locker combinations when she works in the office," he told her before patting her back. He then waved and headed to his car. Rachel was momentarily reassured and cheered up, glad that she at least had some friends at school.

Rachel was really just sad at the loss of an important gift. The notes, the thievery, all of it really didn't faze her because she knew who was truly on her side. The only thing that pricked her hard shell of a defense was the loss of Alucard's gift to her. It was special. She was not about to ask that snooty princess for forgiveness or beg for the coat back. No, she was just going to continue to ignore the girl and hold her head high. Taking a deep breath, Rachel held her head up and headed for the spot where she met the Hellsing car.

Rounding the corner to cut through a small alcove on the side of the school, she thought she was home free when something grabbed her coat. She was yanked backward and her school books fell from her hands and into the snow. With a growl she whipped around and was about to unleash a kick that Seras had taught her when she saw who it was.

Penni and three of her friends were standing there. Though they weren't big, burly men, they were still taller and older than Rachel. Not to mention they outnumbered her. Rachel wasn't stupid and she quickly began to back up, her books momentarily forgotten. She gasped when she was pushed from behind again, now noting that two more of the girls were standing there, cornering her.

"It seems we've caught ourselves a little mouse," Penni said with a grin. The other girls laugh as if on cue. Rachel held back the urge to roll her eyes. Like trained lap-dogs they responded to Penni as if she was the driving force they needed to live on.

Momentarily Rachel wondered where Penni's so-called fiancé Aurick was. He was the boy that had been so nice to her on her first day. Was he completely oblivious to this side of his girl-friend? Or maybe he liked it. Either way, Rachel was starting to think that he was either really stupid or he ignored the things other said about the queen bee, his girl.

"You are going to apologize, mouse. You are going to beg me for forgiveness before I make your life even more of a hell," Penni sneered and Rachel rose a brow. There was no way in hell that was happening. Slowly Rachel took a step back. She was shoved again from behind and for a moment she thought there might be a fight. Then she noted that the girl behind her was trying to push her down on the shoulder again.

They wanted her to kneel? In front of Penni? Oh hell no! That was not happening.

"You will kneel and apologize. You will say you are sorry for making me look a fool twice and for not caving sooner," the blond growled darkly.

"Yeah, that's not happening and there's nothing you can do to make me do it," Rachel pointed out. She tried to turn and grab for one of her books, but a heeled boot stepped on it. The mythologies book was smashed into the slush-like snow below, damaging it thoroughly. The girl glared at the red-haired upper-classman that was happily following orders.

Just as Rachel whipped around to tell Penni to let her go, she saw something standing behind the girl. It was… big… and red. A grin slid over the young woman's face. It was a new grin that no one here at her school had ever seen before.

Though the winter wind always made things chilly, for some reason things seemed to get even colder all of a sudden. It was also somewhat darker than it had been a minute ago. The posse looked at one another before they all looked to Penni, the color draining from their faces. The taller blond had no idea what they were staring and frowned. What were her friends looking at? Then she realized they were all looking at her… well, above her.

Slowly, Penni turned around.

"Rachel, the car will not wait forever you know," a deep voice sounded, every word dripping for venom. None of the darkness was directed toward the girl in question however. The young American giggled.

"Sorry, these girls were holding me up," Rachel explained off-handedly before gathering her fallen books and moving around the petrified Penni.

Alucard stared at the group of previously over-confident and ignorant females that had dared to corner his ward in such a manner. His glasses glinted in the pale light of the schools fluorescent outdoor lighting. The clouds were keeping the sun well hidden today. Though he didn't give his full grin, it was obviously that there was something sinister behind those lips. Tall and lean, the man in red towered over each girl. Everyone in the small circle that had once been around Rachel took a step back, shaking in fear.

"Shall I take care of them?" Alucard questioned curiously. The freshman quickly shook her head with a small smile.

"No, I believe your presence has done enough of the damage I wanted," the dark haired girl mentioned before linking her arm with his and walking with him back to the car. The vampire helped her carry her books and when they got into the car, he set them down and looked to Rachel. The girl looked back at him.

"You followed me to school today…. Did Integra let you?" Rachel asked, raising a brow as the car started and took off toward the road.

"She knew something was wrong and asked me to check on you. I am glad I did. What would you have done if I had not arrived to scare some sense into those girls?" Alucard wondered as he looked over the scrawny girl.

"I would have probably faced them, even though they outnumbered me, like you would have. I would have told them my position and asserted myself and my strength, like Integra would. Then I would have shown them what I can really do, like Walter and Seras would," she answered before grinning and throwing her arms around his neck. Alucard chuckled and hugged her back before reaching behind him and offering her a sleek black coat with silver buttons.

"Humans are not good at guarding their thoughts. One of the girls had this in their locker," Alucard told her before she could ask. Rachel quickly took off the green coat from Integra and slid on Alucard's gift. Beaming with happiness, she hugged herself and the coat happily.

She had missed the smell of gunpowder and wine.

"But I believe it's about time we really see what you can do, girl," Alucard mentioned after a moment. He was thinking to himself as he tapped on the butt of the Jackal in its holster under his jacket. Rachel watched him and could only guess at what he was planning for her upcoming days.

Later that night across London an older blond girl woke up screaming. Her hair stuck to her sweaty forehead and her breathing was labored and fast. She got up and turned on the light, looking around her room as if terrified something was hiding in her own home. Throwing the closet door open and looking under her bed, the girl made sure she was completely alone. After being totally sure nothing was about to pop out at her, she sighed and lay back down.

There was nothing there. She was safe. There were no blood-colored red eyes staring at her from the darkness. There were not hellish looking hounds coming to bite and gnaw at her. There were not gun-shots and dark laughter haunting her rooms.

Of course as soon as she closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep, there they all were. Penni would not be getting a good night's sleep tonight.

No one screwed around with what was his and live on without consequences. She was just lucky he was robbing her of her sleep and not her life.

Authoress: And there we have it! It only took me… well, too long. Look, I'm really sorry! My life has been really hectic for a long while. SO SORRY this was so late but I hope to be doing more for a while now. So expect the next chapter soon!

Alucard: Promises, promises.

Authoress: (growl) OH! By the way, sorry for the very heavy Rachel chapter. Don't worry, next chapter will be equaled out between our favorite vampire and the kid! Promise!

Alucard: Pr-

Authoress: Shut up! Please read and review! And I'm sorry it took me so long!