Do not own! Not mine!
Alucard's POV:
I sighed, running my hands through my hair. I had walked back in the house and transformed, but I still wanted to hold her. It had been agony to be so close to her, yet not have her recognize me as me. When she started explaining her feelings, I had to physically retrain myself from transforming and taking her in my arms, cradling her and giving her the comfort she so desperately needed. I had wanted so badly to help her confusion, but her emotions were such a churning mess anything my human form did would be lost in a hail of contrast and confusion. I refused to take advantage of her changing hormones, which seemed like cheating, and anyway, I wasn't sure of what I wanted to do. Well, I knew I wanted to do. I wanted to hold her, sooth her, comfort her; shield her from all her confusion and pain, protecting her in my arms.
I wanted her pressed against my chest, cuddled against me, her face trusting as she nuzzled me, her breathing soft and even as she slept. I wanted it badly. I craved it with all my being. I craved HER with all my being, her voice, her scent, her warmth, her blood, her skin, her hair, every inch and part of her. I no longer tried to deny it to myself. I just didn't want it. Maybe, maybe, if I fulfilled these cravings, I would no longer ache for her. I might no longer lie awake in the day, my once snug coffin seeming cavernous and empty without the feel of a certain girl within it as well. I might no longer choke my blood down, the once rich liquid stale and tasteless compared to the sweet nectar that was HER blood. But...Integra's orders...I could not sate my yearning. I closed my eyes, hoping to have a dreamless sleep, for once.
Flora's POV:
I gulped nervously. Something was not right as I approached the Hellsing Manor. There was just an air of unfriendly watchfulness in the evening dusk that made me wish I had my knife and was safely back inside the house. My "something fishy" detector was going haywire. I took a deep breath, trying not to let my imagination run away with myself. Okay, think about it logically. Most intruders would have been sniffed out by Alucard or Seras, or both, so whatever's incoming would most likely not be human. I moved a bit faster, wishing I could scream for help, but who might hear me? Everyone was busy, and Alucard was usually asleep at this time of day. I was almost running now, panting and trying to think of a way to alert the others. Pip and his team? Out on break. Integra or Walter? Both in the dining room, waiting for me. Seras? Asleep. Alucard? Same. I was on my own, just like always. I tried sending a mental alarm to him like Integra seemed to be able to do, but I had no idea if I could by myself or if he heard it. I reached the doors, grabbing the handle and starting to heave, but something smashed against the side of my head and I blacked out.
Integra's POV:
"She's late again." Walter said disapprovingly, tapping his foot and looking at his watch. I sighed, shaking my head. "Should we send someone to pick her up?" He frowned, thinking it over. "Perhaps mam. May I suggest Alucard? I doubt she would come with anyone else." I bit my lip but slowly nodded. I mentally forwarded the orders to him and he instantly went, cutting off the mental link. I waited, as this should only take a moment, but scowled as the minutes stretched on and on. Suddenly he slammed the doors open. "She's not anywhere on the grounds or in the mansion." he said frantically, looking worried. "Maybe she ran away? To punish us for not letting her see you?" Walter mused, but Alucard shook his head.
"She talked to Police Girl just a little while ago and left happy. Besides, her things are still here." He said firmly, sounding impatient. Suddenly, the phone rang. Before Walter or myself could even blink Alucard lunged for it. "Yes?" he snarled into it, and there was a moment of silence. I heard a creaking sound and looked down to see his hand wrapped around the table edge, clenching it so hard the wood was beginning to splinter. "If you dare touch her again I will kill you so slowly you'll feel every second of her pain twenty times over." he hissed into it, before practically throwing the phone to me. I listened, and heard wheezing breaths at the other end. "Sir Integra?" Flora said weakly, and my heart clenched. "Are you alright? What happened?" I said slowly, and she whimpered. "I wasn't being very submissive...lots of little things, and a very big bruise on the back of my neck. I'm fine." She was failing miserably at hiding her agony from me, her breath came in short gasps and there were faint whimpers of pain every few seconds or so.
"Do you know who has done this?" I asked, but there was silence. Then- "Well you heard poor Mrs. Hellsing Jr. She's fine, but she won't be if you don't send a couple hundred pounds our way, as well as a signed and sworn word not to hunt us ever after. That's not too much for the life of your little heiress, is it?" There was a sharp cry of pain after that, clearly coming from Flora. Alucard hissed in rage, eyes blazing, and I gritted my teeth. "Hurt her and the deal is off. I'll get you your money and your promise." I snarled, slamming the phone down. Alucard towered over me, looking wild with the need to get her back. "Your curfew is temporarily lifted until the mission is over. Search and Destroy!" I roared, and he eagerly phased away, trailing murderous rage in his wake.
Alucard's POV:
My undead, once thought to be nonexistent, invulnerable, heart, was pounding in my chest. Why was it doing that? Such things as mere physical exertion never made it throb so, why was it hammering now? Was it out of...fear? Fear for Flora, as my acute ears could pick up every blow over the phone and simultaneously reconstruct it in my mind, so I was forced to watch as well as hear them torture her poor, frail, mortal body? Hearing her gasps and winces of pain, clumsily hid, that made echoing jolts of pain sear through my body? I shook my head. I needed to focus, so I could kill them quicker. I stopped at the pre-coordinated place, wrinkling my nose in distaste. I was directly across a gaping chasm spanned by a thin walkway, almost a balance beam, of wood planks. A vampire stood on the other side, looking impatient. "Right then, since you're here we'll get started. Girl's coming, don't you fret." He slouched against a tree, and I refrained from shooting him only because his associates might hurt Flora.
"We'll send the little morsel your way, and you send them documents ours, okay? Ain't that hard. You throw the written word over and she tries to wobble her way across yonder bridge. Neither should fall, although it IS a tricky balancing act..." he said, scratching himself. I knew what he was saying. If I missed or dropped the paper, Flora would not be making it across the suddenly much more fragile-looking bridge. So I wrapped it around a rock and threw it over, striking the vampire perfectly in the center of his forehead. He scowled, bending down and picking the paper up, glancing it over to make sure it wasn't just blank paper or some other trick. "Right then." he said, impressed. "We'll send the morsel over 'sharpish." He whistled, and Flora stumbled out of the woods, blindfolded and with her hands tied together. She stopped quickly, and the vampire, anticipating this, cuffed her over the head and steered her to where the plank began.
I silently gritted my teeth, my fingers itching to shoot him until there was nothing but a bloody lump of meat. Her foot cautiously slid out, feeling how narrow the plank was, and gulped. The vampire snarled quietly and she whimpered, edging out onto the plank, shaking with fear. 'It's alright.' I soothed her mentally. 'You can make it. I will not let you fall.' Her face lit up, bringing a strange, warm feeling to my chest. 'Alucard!' her mental voice chirped, ecstatic. I smirked. 'Yes, I am here little huntress. And just like always, you must come to me, not I to you. Come, young master.' She stepped forward, less nervous now, but still appropriately cautious. She had almost reached the halfway point now, the most dangerous part of all. It was an eternity for me as I watched, but it must have been even longer for her, knowing that at any moment she could topple and fall, defenseless without her hands or her sight. She crossed it, and I stepped almost onto the board, ignoring the vampire's hiss of warning. 'Almost there...' I crooned to her, writhing with impatience.
She whimpered and then her foot made contact with solid, firm ground. Her other foot landed on the turf as well, and without further ado I caught her up, sweeping her into my arms and pressing her to my chest, as I had so longed to do for weeks. I buried my face in her hair, inhaling her scent deeply as I rubbed her back, cutting her bonds as an afterthought. She whimpered and threw her arms around my neck, trembling with residual fear, her heart thrumming against my chest. "Aww, well ain't that just as cute as heck." the vampire crooned, and I opened my eyes, remembering just why I had come. "Hush little huntress. I must let you go now and punish those that caused you discomfort." I whispered in her ear, and she nodded, letting go. I reluctantly released my grip, turning to face the vampire that had so dared to lay a hand to my master's beloved heir. "You have made a very, VERY bad mistake tonight." I said conversationally. "Allow me to rectify it." I pulled out the Casull and his eyes widened. "Oh don't worry, I won't shoot you." I said, and he relaxed. "There is going to be much, MUCH more that I'm going to do to you first." I hissed, landing neatly on the other side of the chasm.
***Time Skip***
It took a relatively short time to FIND the rogue vampires, what kept me was making sure they felt Flora's pain, doubled, tripled, quadrupled, for every second and every bruise. When I was finally done I absorbed the blood covering my clothes and phased back to her. She was huddled behind a rock, shivering with cold, not fear. I gave her my red jacket, and chuckled at the size difference, with her practically enveloped in the red fabric. The hem was a good foot below her own as I picked her up, cradling her against my chest happily. She nuzzled me, and I returned her attention, lavishing her with affection. She mewled happily, smiling in her sleep and snuggling up against me. I smirked, bending through the doors of a cheap hotel and ringing the service bell loudly. "Yes, may I help you?" a stuffy young man asked, looking annoyed at my interruption. "I would like a room for me and my daughter please." I said smoothly, shifting a little in impatience.
Calling Flora my daughter felt both oddly right and…wrong somehow. Like a missed note in a song, or a slightly out-of-line painting, ALMOST right, and yet... not. "Your...daughter?" he asked, giving Flora a suspicious look. "YES. Is there another meaning for such a word?" I asked tartly, annoyed by his question. He flushed. "Ahem, well no sir. However, I would like to see proof of identification..." I glared at him through my glasses, and he fell silent. "Are you implying you think I kidnapped my daughter? That she is not my own daughter at all?" I hissed, holding her gently. He coughed. "Um, well, there is not a strong resembla-" I pulled Flora away from myself, angling her face so he could see it. "Does this look like the face of a kidnapped child!?" I snarled, and he flushed deeper. Snug in my arms as she was, Flora looked peaceful, happy, and full of bliss.
"Err, what I meant to say is, um- look, wake her up and if she says she is your daughter I'll let you have a room for the night." he said in exasperation, and I sighed and gently shook her. She murmured, twitching, and a frown appeared on her face. "Wake up Flora..." I crooned, and mentally told her 'There is a man who thinks I have kidnapped you from your parents. I told him you were my daughter, so reinforce that.' She yawned, blinking open sleepy blue eyes. "Are we there...yet?" she muttered, leaning against me. "Yes dear. You may ask her now." I said to the man, and he winced. "Hey, kid, don't lie now, is this man really your father? You can tell me." he said, trying and failing miserably to look trustworthy. She glared at him. "Yes!" she squeaked indignantly. "I love my dad." she added, nuzzling me affectionately. I grinned smugly, nuzzling her back in a congratulatory way. "Err, okay. Room 213." the man said, giving me the set of keys. I nodded and swept by him, with Flora snuggling into my shoulder again, falling asleep. I didn't bother with the key and simply phased through the door. I looked around, frowning slightly at the dirt and mess.
"Wake up." I whispered, kissing her forehead gently. She cracked an eye open, looking confused. "Alucard?" She whispered, shifting uncomfortably. I cocked my head. "What?" She sighed, winding her fingers in my jacket. "I know you're my friend 'n all, but...I mean...are you...am I..." I nuzzled her, laying her down on the bed. "You are my master, little one. I must be content with holding you for right now." I said quietly rubbing her hand as she curled up. She looked up at me. "What?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion. I sighed, sitting down beside her. "I am forbidden to be near you, remember? And the binding seals Van Hellsing put on me so long ago reinforces that. Females of the Hellsing line...it's complicated, but you repel me by your DNA." Her eyes teared up a little, and she whimpered, her fingers curling around mine. I stroked her face slowly, smiling sadly. "But aside from all that, you are very precious to me. My precious little one." I whispered in her ear, bringing her back into my arms and cradling her.
I rocked her gently, pressing my lips to her hair and inhaling her scent. She yawned, snuggling into me slightly. "But...I don't understand..." she whimpered, and I nuzzled her. "Hush my precious little one. Follow what your heart wants." I crooned to her, lying down. I stroked her back as her eyes closed, humming a lullaby to calm her further. She yawned again and nuzzled me for the final time, burrowing into my jacket and my arms as she slept. She was finally safe in my arms, asleep, protected in my embrace, her soothing heartbeat pulsing against my chest. Everything I had been longing for for weeks was a reality. But then why...why did it still feel off? Did I want more? I shook my head. No. My craving was satisfied. I nuzzled her again, yawning silently. I absently cradled her, studying her face and wondering what her future would be like. She would go home, come back, take charge of Hellsing...and be lost to me forever. No longer could my little one visit me, no longer would she be able to snuggle with me without arousing unwelcome attention, no longer could we be anything more than "master" and "servant". Eventually she or the Queen would find her a husband and she would produce heirs for the Hellsing line.
"Lucky is the man who will be your husband." I whispered to her, pressing my forehead to hers. I didn't want to lose her. Every fiber of my being cried out against it. But... what could I do? Nothing...nothing. I closed my eyes, gritting my teeth and ignoring the dismal picture the future painted. "Alucard..." she whined in her sleep, sounding terrified. "Shhh, little one, shhh my huntress..." I crooned softly, rocking her. She latched onto me desperately, whimpering and nuzzling me frantically, like she was checking me for injury. I smiled sadly, stroking her hair. "I'm unharmed little one." I whispered, touched somehow that she was having a nightmare about me getting hurt. She pressed into me, heart thumping in her chest fearfully.