Singe

The Return

Disclaimer: Hellsing belongs to People who are not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic, it is written purely because I have a burning need to create. Castlevania belongs to Konami who are also not me. I make no claim on any characters from either Hellsing or Castlevania I'm simply borrowing them without permission.

Rating: PG-13

Authoress note: The Castle rises again in an unexpected place.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You do not need to know anything about Castlevania to understand this fic, all Castlevania references are explained in the fic.

Italics are thoughts, metal speak and flashbacks

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Chapter Three

"I hate you." Adrian looked up, genuinely shocked at the words. Seras glared for all she was worth, she tried to mimic her master, he could glare like the best of them. But apparently it wasn't working as Adrian only tilted his head and looked confused.

"I hate you," she said again, Adrian continued to look confused but upon receiving no explanation he went back to contentedly munching away on the pot roast Walter had made. Seras watched on mournfully. "I really hate you."

"Why?" Adrian asked. His breath smelt like gravy and Seras almost wept.

"She's jealous," Alucard said. "Seras misses food."

"Oh, forgive me, lady," Adrian said. "Would you care for some?" Seras looked at her master.

"Have some," the master vampire grumbled. "Just don't come crying to me when you're ill." Seras sighed and shook her head at Adrian.

"It's not fair," she said. "He eats entire people, including clothes, pocket change, and keys and he's fine, but I eat one measly pie and I'm ill for hours. Then you come along and I have to watch you eat all the things I want for an entire week."

"Your constitution will improve as you get older," Alucard said. Adrian looked between the two and smirked. He had the feeling this was not the first time Seras had wanted 'human' food. "Then you can be just like me."

"I would never eat pocket change," Seras snapped, "You eat gross things!"

"Says the girl who wants to eat that," Alucard pointed at Adrian's pot roast. "It smells worse than the Belmont and has been dead for weeks."

"If you don't mind I'm eating this," Adrian muttered and was ignored.

"But it's a proper dinner," Seras argued. "My dad used to make amazing roasts, they were to die for." Alucard made a face. "I think he put something in the gravy." Seras mused.

"Animal fat, blood, flour and lard," Alucard said. "It's disgusting."

"You eat people whole," Seras snapped. "That's disgusting and mean."

"At least it's fresh," Alucard said. Adrian sniggered.

"Keys are not fresh, guns are not fresh, and clothes are not fresh," Seras said, counting them off on her fingers. "I'm amazed you don't throw up pellets like an owl."

"That would be strange," Adrian muttered, then toned out the argument and concentrated on finishing his meal. When the plate was clear Alucard stood up, took the plate, and refilled it from a pot on the cooker. He then put it down in front of his son. Both Adrian and Seras blinked at him.

"You're going to make me sick," Adrian muttered, but started eating again. Alucard smirked and settled down again to watch.

"I can't watch anymore, this is killing me," Seras said and stood up. "I'll come and find you later alright?" Adrian nodded and continued to eat. Seras left father and son alone and went down the hallway to her room.

"Hopefully we will find something tonight," she muttered to herself. They had been out hunting the castle every night now for the last week. They had found daemons, but still no sign of the castle.

Seras sighed and stopped at the door to her room.

It was odd; something seemed kind of off about her door. Seras stared at it hard. There was nothing different about it physically, but something didn't feel right. Her instincts were screaming at her. She reached down to the handle and opened the door to her room. Only it wasn't her room. She stared at it from the doorway and laughed.

"It is my room," she laughed. It was her room, but not the room Integra had given her. This room was large and classically decorated, it had an enormous window that opened onto a small balcony. The bed in this room was her king sized four-poster dream and all the furniture was dark, old and well looked after. It was the room her master had given her when they had returned to his homeland. It was her bedroom in the castle.

"Master!" she shouted, "Master!" she heard something upstairs fall over and jumped when hands wrapped tightly around her arms.

"What?" he asked, his voice strained. For a few seconds Seras felt something strange, he sounded worried, he sounded like he was worried for her. It made her smile. "Why are you screaming?" he snapped, lifting her and shaking.

"Look," she gestured with her chin at her open door. Alucard looked into the doorway. He was silent, and Seras felt the blood stop running to her hands as his grip tightened. "Master," she whispered, "I can't feel my fingers." He made no response, just looked into her bedroom. "Master," she snapped, kicking him.

"Seras," he muttered, putting her down but still not looking away from the open door. He didn't let go of her either. Seras stayed perfectly still, thinking if she moved he might jerk away. It was nice to simply be touched; he only ever touched her when he had to move her, because of a battlefield or because she was blocking the fridge. She yelped when he suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her into the bedroom.

He didn't look around, but dragged her to another door and swung it open. Seras half expected to see the brick wall of the Hellsing house but was pulled into a richly carpeted corridor. She grinned when Alucard made a sound of pleasure and continued to down the hallway. He dragged her around the castle faster than she could have run alone. He opened doors, peeked into rooms, making wordless sounds of contentment before dragging her to another door; he seemed determined to see if everything was here.

"Master?" Seras gasped after he opened another door. "Can we stop for a moment?" he looked at her and blinked slowly. Then looked into the room and grinned again.

"I did not properly show you the Library when you were last here," he said. "Come on." He dragged her to her feet and began walking back at a more sedate pace, for which Seras was grateful. The door he had opened three doors ago leads them into a larger corridor, this one lined with books. Seras gasped when they turned a corner and stepped onto a balcony, looking over an amazing room. It was beautiful, marble archways, wooden railings and books, hundred on hundreds of books as far as the eye could see.

"You could never read them all." Seras breathed.

"There is one who is trying," Alucard grinned and pulled her further into the cavern, pretending to be a library. He pulled her past shelves and small enclaves until he reached an old door that did not match the rest. He surprised Seras by knocking and waiting until a voice called to him.

"Enter," the voice was male and old. They entered the room and Seras blinked. There was an aged man sitting at a desk with piles of books around him. He looked up and froze when he saw Alucard. "Master?" he said after a moment," or have I finally gone mad?"

"You were always mad," Alucard smiled and looked to Seras, pride and excitement in his eyes. "Seras may I introduce you to the librarian of my home, a man so mad as to read all the books. He cannot rest until he has done so."

"It doesn't help that you keep adding more." The old man breathed, Alucard laughed.

"I have not added more for centuries and you are still here," he grinned.

"Because you never added one or two new volumes, you added a wing or six every time you visited me." The old man looked like he would launch a book at the master vampire. Then he smiled.

"Wait, a wing or six?" Seras said. "You built more?"

"Maybe," Alucard shrugged.

"I can't imagine you in a hard hat," Seras mumbled.

"I instructed the castle to expand," Alucard sighed at her confused expression. "The castle it is its own dimension, it is not truly a physical thing, it is usually contained inside something physical, but the physical manifestation is only a gateway," he continued. "It is not truly made of bricks and mortar, I make it from energy, so we need no hard hat, all that is needed is power."

"So the physical manifestation could be, say, a phone box?" Seras asked, slowly understanding.

"If you dare call my home a Tardis, I will cut all your hair off," Alucard snapped. "Besides a Tardis is bigger inside than out. My home is a separate dimension."

"Oh," Seras was still confused.

"I have many books on the castle should your lady wish to read them," the old man spoke up. Seras smiled.

"Only if I would not be depriving you," she grinned, Alucard laughed.

"Sarcasm is the wit of fools," the librarian muttered, then smirked. "You are a suitable match for him."

"What?" Seras asked but felt Alucard pulling her away.

"Yes well," he said to the Librarian, "we will leave you to your books old one." The aged man laughed as the master vampire hustled his fledgling out and away from him.

They walked around the library in companionable silence. Alucard seemed content to walk, and Seras was happy to follow him. Occasionally he pointed out areas of books that interested him and some areas he thought would interest her. She grinned when he showed her the collection of fantasy books, half expecting the library to comprise reference books alone. It was a beautiful place and one he was happy in. She could see a difference in him. His humor here seemed genuine, no longer a front to hide behind. His silences were relaxed, not morbidly depressing. Seras smiled, liking the effect the castle was having already on her master. They stopped walking on one of the smaller balconies. This one had an amazing view, bellow was silent and Seras yelped when after a few moments of stillness the books on the shelves started moving.

"They are hunters," Alucard grinned as the slow moving books moved from the shelves into the air and began floating around each other. "Think of them as rather slow cats,". Seras laughed when two of the smaller books squared off to each other.

"This place is so strange," she laughed. "Yet in some ways it feels more like home than home ever did." Alucard smiled at her words and nodded. Seras sighed, feeling her happiness ebb away as her thoughts returned to Hellsing. "You know, you will have to tell Integra." Alucard looked like he thought she was mad.

"Why?" he said.

"Because she will ask you," Seras breathed. "She will ask, and you will have to tell her." She snorted, "besides how long do you think she will not notice that there's a castle in the basement?" Alucard looked a little amused.

"It's the last place she'll look."

"It's the last place she'll look. Why would she keep looking after she found it? You know this can't work and you know how mad she will be when she finds out you hid it from her."

"Integra is always mad about something," Alucard said.

"You know what she'll make you do. She'll be furious. She wouldn't give you a chance to ask. She'll make you destroy it."

"You think she won't if I tell her it's here?" he laughed, but it was not amused, it was angry. "Come now, child, at least let me keep it for a little time." They were silent together for a few moments. Seras looked out at the sprawling library. She could see why he wanted to keep it. She wanted to keep it and it wasn't even her home. It was too beautiful, twisted and awful to want to throw away.

"I think she's more likely to listen if she's not hopping mad," Seras admitted. "But we can wait until tomorrow if you like."

"Thank you."

End chapter Three

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My first Novel, Grey Wings has now been released!

GREY WINGS

Jason is stranded in a dark city, and is in desperate need of help when he has no idea how he will get home.

So, when he collides with Aurelius, an Angel only in the mildest sense of the word – who has committed a crime worthy of great punishment, but has been handed a rare chance at redemption – Jason can see a way home.

However, their journey will be hampered by Fallen Angels, Earth Spirits, and Griffons – and none can say if everyone will make it home.