I'll be the first to admit that I've made mistakes in my life. Mistakes are a varying thing, though. Sometimes, you make mistakes that you can learn from and move past, ultimately bettering yourself in the end. Not being the first to invent the Beerhat, forgetting to fix the slightly longer dip in the stairs, and accidentally shooting Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife because you thought he was trying to run you over while you were drunk, are all mistakes that you can live with, move past, and learn from. But siring the wrong person, for the wrong reasons... that will haunt you forever.

-excerpt from the Vampire Journals

Chapter 9: The Wrong Reasons

Of course, when Alucard returned to the safe house, the sun was starting to peak the horizon, and Seras wasn't there. After scratching his head for a moment, he gave up, and simply decided to just go find Alley. It was time to catch up anyway.

...

Sometime after the moon had started coming up, Seras finally found Alley.

Or, rather, Alley found her.

Seras had been sniffing around the alleyway that she had initially seen Alley in, when something dinked off her shoulder. She spun around quickly, quick enough to watch the empty soup can clatter to the ground. Alley was already picking up another can to throw when Seras said hello.

The second can smacked into her face.

"Ouch", Seras said, holding her nose. "Why did you do that?!"

"I don't know you, vampire," Alley sneered, as if it were a curse. "So get lost!"

"I'm Alucard's sire", Seras told her.

"Don't try to fool me vampire", Alley shouted, as she readied another empty can, "I've seen Alucard's sire before, and you don't look anything like her!"

"Wait", Seras said, causing the smaller figure to hesitate. "What do you mean, you've seen her before? This is the first time we've met! Well, second, actually... you have seen me before, remember?"

The smaller figure seemed to contemplate something momentarily. She looked Seras up, and then she looked her down. Then she hurled her can.

This time, Seras was able to get her hands up in time for an effective block.

"So, he's got a new sire, huh", Alley said, in a very adult-like fashion.

"New", Seras echoed. "You say that like he has many sires."

"I'm not one of them, if that's what you're trying to say", Alley told her flatly, a frown creasing her little face.

"Well, then, let's start there", Seras said hopefully. "What's your story?"

"Were you a detective", Alley asked.

"I'm... sorry?"

"Daddy called you 'Police Girl', so were you a detective, or not?"

"Oh... no. I was just a... beat cop."

She thought maybe Alley would understand what she was saying if she said it like that.

"Oh, so you're one of those... what did Daddy call them again... asshole cops?"

The cuss word that came from her mouth was in stark contrast to her innocent aura. Seras couldn't suppress a giggle.

"Yeah, I guess I was an asshole cop."

"Well, cop", Alley said, taking a step forward. "You know my name, so I should know yours. Cause that's polite."

Cause that's polite. Seras could just barely suppress another giggle. Alley acted like such an adult. A smile crevassed her face

"My name is Seras Victoria", she told the small vampire, kneeling down in front of her.

"Ok, Seras", Alley said. "You're here for information, so what do you wanna know?"

At first, Seras was completely floor by the fact that Alley could not only see right through her, but could also accurately guess what she had come for. Then, another realization kicked in, and her amazement was soured by disgust.

"Is that all he uses you for", Seras said, unable to hide the disgusted look that swept over her face. "Information?"

"Uses", Alley asked with a blank stare. "I'm good at learning. I'm small, I can get in tight places. I've got good ears; I can listen well. I like knowing for knowing's sake. Excuse me if someone else wants to put that to good use." Alley wagged a finger at Seras, as she continued, "And don't come to me all high and mighty saying Daddy uses me when you're here for the same thing."

Now Seras really was floored. Alley was as smart as a whip, not just in overall awareness, but in wit as well. She was currently three steps ahead of Seras, and if she wanted to really learn anything, she was going to have to start outsmarting this kid.

"You're right", Seras conceded. "I am here for information. I just want to know some things... and then we can be friends, ok?"

"I don't think so, lady", Alley told her flatly. "I've got enough pen pals."

Good god, she was losing a battle of wits to a child. The realization hit her like a freight train. How was she supposed to turn this around?

"Well, I'd like you to tell me about yourself", Seras began, hoping to salvage this conversation.

"Why?"

"Because I want to know more about you."

"For knowing's sake?"

"Yes", Seras affirmed with a smile, "for knowing's sake."

For a moment, Alley drew back, hesitating.

"Well... I was a mistake."

"Oh, Alley, don't say that", Seras said supportively, trying to comfort her. "You aren't a mistake!"

"God, I hope I was", Alley said, rolling her eyes. "I hope some evil person didn't think to themselves, 'hey, let's make a child vampire who will sit around answering dumb questions for dumb people all day.'"

Good NIGHT. No wonder Alucard liked this child so much. Her insults may not have been profanity-ridden, but somehow, they stung even worse than Alucard's.

"As I was saying", Alley continued with a huff, "I was supposed to be a sacrifice... but the guy who was supposed to do it messed up. Probably because Daddy dislocated the back of his head from the front of his head."

"Oh", Seras said, starting to understand. "So you feel like since he saved you, you owe him?"

"Saved me", Alley repeated with a dumbfounded expression. "He didn't save me! He failed miserably at that part! What he should have done was put me to sleep! Forever!"

Seras was taken aback by what she was hearing. Sweet, sassy little Alley wanted to die?

"And what he could have done was walk away from me. He lives in London, after all. He could have disappeared off the face of the Earth, and never seen me again. But he didn't. He didn't want to kill me, so instead he swore to protect me. You don't get that from people in his position, often."

Seras was a bit dumbfounded by that. Honestly, she didn't know what to think. Up until now, she had seen Alucard as an asshole who used people, who made cold, calculating decisions that ultimately benefitted himself at the expense of others. But Alley saw him as a protector, and one who was quite inconvenienced by her existence at that. And truth be told, she hadn't even thought about how far away England and America were.

Which reminded her...

"How often does Alucard come to see you?"

"Every weekend!"

"Really?!"

"Have you ever noticed that he doesn't work on the weekends?"

Actually, she hadn't. And now she was purely baffled. He came to see her every weekend.

A little bit more train on that thought revealed just how shallow that really was, though. Alucard could go practically anywhere for practically any reason, so the fact that he only came to see her on the weekends was... well, shallow. If he was really trying to protect her, he would have been around more often, like whenever he disappeared midday on Wednesdays and Thursdays. He was just ferrying himself back and forth for information.

A frown creased Seras' face. Alley must have mistaken it for a look of concentration, because she stayed silent. Seras sighed.

"Well, what else do you know about Alucard", Seras said, in as cheerful a voice as she could muster.

Alley cocked her head.

"You're his new sire", Alley said in an even tone. "If he wants to tell you about himself, he will."

"Well, about that", Seras said, "I think he wants me to learn about him on my own."

"How would you know that?"

"Call it 'woman's intuition'."

"Yeesh, he must really think you're not a very good Police Girl if he's making you work for it", Alley said with a smirk. "If he thought you were smart enough to figure it all out on your own, he'd just tell you."

Seras was starting to question why she had come here in the first place. She wasn't entirely certain what information she truly wanted, but she knew for a fact that she didn't come here to get roasted by a little girl.

"Work with me here, Alley", she said, with an air of authority in her voice. She was tired of playing nice. Now she was playing cop.

What she did seemed to have the opposite effect of what she wanted. Alley grinned so wide, she had to squint her eyes to show all of her sharp teeth.

"Are you playing 'bad cop' now", Alley said in jest.

Yikes. Seras wasn't going to be able to make Alley play by her rules at all. In fact, she had probably just set their conversation back to square one. She was going to have to give Alley the reigns here if she wanted to know anything at all.

Seras gave an audible sigh.

"I'm sorry, Alley", Seras said to her. "I didn't do too many interrogations when I was on the Force. So, you know what? Let's not treat this like an interrogation. Why don't you tell me what you want to?"

Alley raised a little eyebrow.

"Alright, copper", Alley said, "how about I ask you some questions, then."

"That's fine by me", Seras said with a nod.

"How old are you?"

"I'm nineteen."

"I mean in vampire years, lady", Alley clarified.

"Um... zero?"

Alley seemed to consider this, placing a hand on her chin in thought.

"How did you die?"

"Alucard shot me", Seras deadpanned.

"Really", Alley said, perking up a little. "Now that's interesting."

"Why is that interesting?"

Alley smirked.

"Daddy rarely misses", Alley told her matter-of-fact-like. "Why did he turn you?"

"I", Seras began, stumbling mentally. Once again, a question she had asked herself again and again, one that kept her up at night and begged for an answer.

An answer she didn't have.

"I don't know", she finally admitted.

Alley seemed to contemplate this particular fact very deeply. A few minutes past, as she scrunched up her little face in concentration.

"Huh", she finally said, a confused look spreading over her face. "That's odd."

"Why is that odd?"

"I don't know", Alley said in a mocking tone. "Why don't you tell me, lady?"

"Maybe because it's odd to give someone powers without telling them why?"

"Nailed it", Alley affirmed.

Beyond this, she offered no further explanation.

"Where did you grow up?"

A horrific flashback of her childhood shot Seras straight up.

"I grew up in Leeds. Nothing happened."

"Sounds boring."

"It was..."

"What were your parents like?"

"Alive", Seras answered, far too quickly.

Alley's face creased into an angry frown at first, indicating she thought Seras was mocking her. But after a moment of thought, it turned into a sad frown.

"I'm sorry", Alley said. "I didn't know my parents. It's good you spent some time with yours."

Seras didn't quite know how to respond. This little girl was smarter than any child she had ever met, and because she was so smart, she was able to make the whole situation completely awkward. Seras let the silence continue, trailing her eyes away in thought.

"Well, that's all I've got for now", Alley told her, turning around to walk away.

"Wait", Seras said. Alley turned back to look at her, and Seras noticed that she was outlined by the rising sun. "You didn't recognize me earlier, didn't you?"

"Earlier tonight", Alley asked. "I did. I just didn't know that you were Daddy's new sire."

"Well, who else has Alucard sired", Seras asked, confused.

Alley smiled.

"Don't go opening coffins that don't yet house corpses", Alley told her.

"Sorry, what?"

"That's my one and only warning. If I tell you about this, well... it's ancient history, but it's not quite dead yet."

"I don't understand."

"Of course you don't", Alley told her smugly. "This is advanced knowledge. Stuff that only people in the know know about."

"And?"

"If you're not in the know yet", Alley told her flatly, "there's a darn good reason."

"So? What reason?"

Alley shrugged.

"I guess you're about to find out. I get talkative when the sun comes up."

"So... who's this other sire?"

"Well, if I'm going to tell you that", Alley said, unaware of the shadow that loomed behind her, "I'm going to have to take you back to the beginning. Back before Alucard was 'Alucard', when the world was strange and wild, a time when the clashing of armies determined the fate of the world!"

"Sounds like a good story", Alucard said, sweeping Alley up off the ground and onto his shoulders. "Why don't you tell it to me?"

Alley went red in the face, and then went completely pale. That small show was over in an instant, as Alley quickly changed the subject. As Seras stood up, Alley grinned again.

"I saw a werewolf last night", she said triumphantly.

"You did", Alucard said, his voice sounding alarmed. He lifted Alley off his shoulders, and turned her around to face him. "Did you stay hidden?"

"He never saw me", Alley said while her face made a contour of confidence.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm still alive, aren't I", Alley asked. She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket. "He got into a blue car, and I even saw the license plate number! I wrote it down for you, too!"

Alucard embraced her into a gentle hug.

"Don't take risks like that, ok", Alucard asked her, in a voice that Seras actually thought sounded like it showed genuine care.

"I didn't", Alley reaffirmed. "He never saw me!"

"Just", Alucard began. He released her from the embrace, and took the piece of paper from her hand. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Daddy", Alley said happily, hugging him around the neck again.

She released her little grasp from him, saying, "Sounds like you've got work to do!"

"Sure does", Alucard told her with a sigh.

For a moment, Seras thought that Alucard might make Alley tell her story again, just to torture her. But he didn't. Instead, he wrapped her up in another hug.

"Stay safe out there", Alucard told her. "I'll be back this weekend."

"Cross your heart", Alley asked, making the symbol of the cross over her heart again.

Alucard grinned, responding, "And hope to live."

Alley planted a small kiss on his cheek, then raced away into the shadows. Once again, Alucard sat still for a moment, staring in the direction of where she had gone to. Then he stood up, dusting himself off.

"Come on", Alucard told Seras. "We've got a werewolf to catch."

...

Pip Bernadotte was still trying to sleep off his hangover when his phone rang.

Groggily, he rolled over onto his side, taking note of the fact that he was on a floor with rather plush carpet.

Where was he?

He rolled over, hoping the incessant ringing would quit on its own. When it didn't, he groaned, reached into his pocket, and pulled the phone out.

Putting the receiver up to his ear, he gave a carefully guarded and rather groggy, "Bonjour?"

"Pip, shut the fuck up and put someone smart on the phone."

Of course it was Alucard. Pip yanked the phone away from his ear, suppressing a groan, and looked around the room. He was in what appeared to be a rather fancy hotel. Directly in front of him was a couch that was occupied by Michael Norton, the Pest from the Mid-West, as he was referred to by his cohorts.

Speaking of which, where were his cohorts?

Wesley "Cali Swag" Greeve and Carver "Six-gun" Samson were nowhere to be seen. Pip rolled over onto his stomach, trying to see behind him, but the king-sized bed was devoid of the two men.

"Fuck", Pip breathed.

"I'm WAITING", Alucard said over the phone.

Pip tried to stand, but found that the room spun around him when he did. He gently eased himself back to the floor, and belly-crawled his way over to Michael. The man snored away like a freight train, making Pip ponder how he had slept through that.

He gently tugged on the man's sleeve, and he sprang into action... exactly two inches up, before hung-over Michael realized that this particular action was rather painful. He lifted himself up into a sitting position, much more gently, and groggily glared at Pip.

"Yeah, Boss?"

Pip passed him the phone. Michael begrudgingly took it, and spoke through the receiver.

"Michael-"

"Who the FUCK is this", Alucard shouted.

"The... mid-western guy."

"Oh. Sup, homie?"

"Oh, you know", Michael said with a yawn, holding his head in his hand, "just waking up."

"Can you run a license plate number for me", Alucard asked.

Michael looked around the room, taking note of the fact... with some relief... that his laptop sat on a small coffee table next to the bed.

"Yeah" Michael said begrudgingly into the phone, "sure."

He carefully stood up, and took baby steps towards his computer, being as careful as possible not to stumble and fall.

"T-t-t-today, junior", Alucard insisted about halfway to the computer.

Michael stumbled the rest of the way to the bed, catching himself on the edge. He turned to his computer. It was open to videos of gorillas beating each other up. God only knew why.

He swapped tabs to , and said into the receiver, "Go ahead."

Alucard gave him the numbers and letters slowly and carefully. By the time he was done, Michael was already picking up a hit.

"Blue Honda Civic?"

"Sounds right", Alucard told him. "Anything to report?"

"Guy really likes to park in front of fire hydrants", Michael offered.

"Text me addresses."

"Will do."

As Michael went through the trouble of texting Alucard on a flip phone, Pip finally regained the ability to stand up straight. He used his newfound ability to flop onto the nearby couch.

"Honestly", Pip said, rubbing his head, "fuck being wine-drunk."

"Well, we did have some fun", Michael pointed out. "We had so much fun, we lost Cali Swag and Six-gun."

"Fuck", Pip swore. "Do you know where they went?"

"I just got a text from Six-gun", Michael confirmed. "He's in a dumpster behind an Arby's. Cali Swag's with him."

"What the fuck happened last night", Pip asked, digging his hand harder into his forehead.

Michael grinned.

"Got kicked out of a few places, got into a few fights, but the real highlight was when you reneged on some of that shit you've been talkin'."

"What shit specifically?"

"That 'freak'? You said she was smokin'."

"No", Pip responded dismissively. After a moment of silence, Pip turned his weary eye in Michael's direction. "Really?"

"You were saying shit like, 'I wonder if she's ever been kissed by a Frenchman before', and, 'She'll never know true love 'til she knows French love'. The boys were practically howling!"

"Oh, fuck right off."

"They don't call me 'Serious Sam' because I tell lies!"

"Who the fuck calls you 'Serious Sam'?"

"Some Russian dude. Anyway, go for it, man."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"You want her? Go get her."

"You're out of your damn mind."

"Maybe I am. We did take some of our jokes a little too far. And being in the sand for all those years makes you... eh, rough around the ladies. But you've got game, man! I've heard your stories."

"I'm more of a one-night stand kind of man."

"Don't give me that shit", Michael said, as he stretched out across the bed, rolling onto his back. "Everyone's got their limits. Eventually, your brain hits the 'enough's enough' button and you start looking for someone to settle down with. Some people get it faster than others. My uncle didn't hit it until a year before he died. Dude was like eighty."

"I don't want to settle down", Pip said, tilting his head back to rest against the wall. "This is the life for me."

"Come on, man, only psychos really believe that shit. Even the guys who thrive in the military can't do it forever."

"But we're not in the military, are we", Pip asked, as he stuck a cigarette into his mouth.

"Mercing's even worse", Michael said, as he heard a lighter click on. "This job'll get to you. It gets to everybody. Eventually, you do one thing or see one thing that makes you say, 'I didn't sign up for this shit'. I remember that first time we had to grab a spoiled brat. We literally waded through a river of semen to nab that girl. It's a wonder I didn't get pregnant, har har. I nearly quit on the spot. I didn't sign up for all that shit."

"But you stayed", Pip said, flipping the lighter closed. "So your point is moot."

"My point is that we've all got our breaking points", Michael corrected. "I almost found mine. You're telling me that with all that horrible shit we did, after having to give ourselves that dumbass "Wild Geese" name or whatever, after Brisbane-"

"Don't talk about Brisbane", Pip interjected with authority.

"Whatever, man. The point is, eventually, you're going to hit that 'enough's enough' button. You're saying you wouldn't wanna be with that smokin' hot Brit?"

"She's a freak, for fuck's sake", Pip complained. "She might eat me in my sleep."

"She hasn't yet."

"So, what?"

"Nothing's stopping her."

"That's my point."

"Remember when we sang that song, and we got her so upset that she cried?"

"So, what?"

"She could've eaten us all, right then, but she didn't. That means something, man."

Pip thought about it for a moment. He was right; nothing had stopped her from turning them all to gelatinous piles of skin and bones. She had literally poked him into submission. She was just... different.

"And maybe that's why..."

"Why what?"

"You know what? You're right. Nothing's stopping her. But you know what's stopping me? Those sharp-ass teeth. I'm not about to get my tongue bit off just trying to steal a kiss."

"Ah, you're thinkin' about it!"

"Shut up."

...

The air was a bit chilly, this high above the Earth's surface. Looking down, he could see some of the most beautiful sights that urban America had to offer, but those sights didn't change the fact that he was freezing out on the gondola. It was times like these that he wished Doc had given him more fur.

The Major stood next to him, seemingly unaffected by the cold... probably because of the layers of fat he had around his body. Schrodinger suppressed a giggle. The Major turned to him, a soft smile crossing his face.

"Almost to the drop point, my beloved catboy", he said in flawless, if heavily accented English. "Must I remind you what we're here for?"

Schrodinger did not need to be reminded.

"We're here to observe", he recited. "We must understand Alucard better before we start this war. His weaknesses to be exploited, but so too his strengths."

"Of course", the Major said with delight. "I shouldn't have to remind you, you're a smart boy!"

The Major finally removed the case from behind his back, saying, "Your weapon!"

Schrodinger opened the small case, and was immediately disappointed.

"I thought it would be a Luger", he said, holding up the handheld video camera.

"Ah, but you see", the Major said in a voice that could have easily landed him a teaching job at any school, "knowledge is the most powerful weapon in our inventory!"

While the Major continued talking, Schrodinger examined the small camera. "While the rest of the world remains blissfully ignorant of our strength... and our mission... we know everything about our enemies that we would need to successfully carry out our plans!"

As Schrodinger looked at his reflection in the lens, taking note that he had some salmon stuck in his teeth, the Major continued. "Everything, except for Alucard's greatest-kept secret! We have followed him from 1918, when he met Kaiser Wilhelm, onward with our impeccable German record-keeping! But where exactly did he come from? He must have been in cahoots with that dreadful Abraham Van Helsing, otherwise, why would he help his son, Gabriel, fight the Council of Thirteen during the Great War? But that still tells us nothing! We know that Alucard is powerful, but where did he get that power? Certainly, he shall tell us himself, in one capacity or another!"

"Major", a Private said in German, stepping forward with the click of his heels, "we are five minutes from the drop point!"

"And this is where we part ways, I'm afraid", the Major told Schrodinger, as he handed him the small leather backpack that contained his parachute. "But rest assured, we got you as close as we could... so that you may do the same for us!"

...

Of all the bloody places that Alucard could have taken them, a mini-golf center?

The place seemed rather run-down, overrun by teenagers instead of small kids, which were inherently worse because of the hormones. And gangs. Graffiti covered every conceivable surface, trash was all around the place, and the equipment looked several years overdue for being replaced.

He had pointed out a particular man, who seemed to be large and muscular, wearing a rather tight shirt that showed off his various bulges. The man smoked like a locomotive, having replaced his cigarette right after his last one had reached the butt three separate times in the past fifteen minutes.

Another thing that Seras noticed; the man stank.

And not in the traditional, "He must have forgotten to take a shower" sense; the man smelled like a wet dog that had somehow fermented under the rain. The scent was incredibly overpowering. She was surprised that people could stand being within five feet of the man, much less carry on normal conversations with him through him puffing on his cigarettes.

The man wasn't particularly good at mini-golf either. Seras had already heard him tell someone that he was just practicing his swing... yet he had been towed three separate times in this particular parking lot for double-parking. Clearly, he had other intentions with this place. With a shudder, Seras hoped that it wasn't because there were plenty of soft targets about.

Baiting him out would be easy, apparently, but that would be completely up to Seras.

"Werewolves have their social circles", Alucard told her, "and they talk about me a lot. But I've never heard your name come up in their conversations. So here's what you're going to do. Walk in, look around for a while, and when you start getting close to him, just sniff the air heavily. Then wrinkle your nose and walk away. That's all you have to do."

"Where do you want me to go after that?"

"The nearest dark alleyway", Alucard told her without any particular direction.

So now, here Seras was, making a complete fool of herself, looking around the place like she was in a convenience store, looking for a certain cereal brand. She looked at all of the various abnormalities that people considered to be "quirky" mini-golf holes, examining them as if she was some kind of pro determining whether or not this particular place was adequate to her skill level. Eventually, she moseyed on up to the suspected werewolf.

The idiot was still smoking his cigarette between his lips, taking poor shots at holes. He was joking with another guy, when he suddenly paused. He removed the cigarette from his mouth, and turned to look straight at Seras. He tossed the cigarette away, and stared at her.

Thinking this might be a good enough time to do what Master told her, she began sniffing the air. She wrinkled up her nose, and turned around to leave the place. Seras, having at least some sense about her, didn't look behind her, just walked straight out, and walked towards the nearest alleyway.

She turned around, and waited. Roughly five minutes later, the man walked calmly into the alleyway. He didn't have a cigarette in his mouth.

"Hello, little vampire", the werewolf said, with a cruel smile on his face. He angled his fingers into a claw, and dragged them across the brick wall, leaving scratches in his wake. "What are you doing out here, all alone?"

Alucard swept in behind him, smacking him across both his ears to disorient him. As he turned around, Alucard swung a hook into his jaw, jerking his head around so quickly that his brain must have been bouncing like a ping pong off a paddle. Another fist smashed into his face one more time, and he went down like a sack of potatoes.

"Oh, you know", Alucard told the limp werewolf, "just getting some cheeks to clap."

Alucard produced a syringe, and poked it into the werewolf's neck.

"Um, what was that", Seras asked.

"An enzyme", Alucard explained. "It'll keep him from changing. They're a lot harder to take down when they're bigger."

"Ok... where did you get it?"

"Prison wallet."

"Prison wallet?"

"I can fit a lot of shit in there... and my farts don't make sound."

"Sure, whatever", Seras dismissed, figuring Alucard was just messing with her again.

...

The abandoned shed was just big enough for a chair in the center, underneath a hanging light, and Alucard pacing in front of it. Seras was tucked into a corner.

Alucard paced indeed, with his hands at his side, in front of a very much awake... and quite pissed... werewolf. He was still in the form of a man, so Seras found it difficult to think of him as a werewolf. She didn't have difficulty disliking him, however. The man seemed to generate bad vibes.

A trickle of blood was dripping from his nose, staining his pant leg. He had Alucard fixed with a death-glare, which Alucard returned with a grin.

"So", Alucard began, "how about we start with some friendly questions?"

The werewolf continued to stare him down.

"What's your name", Alucard asked.

"Fuck you", the werewolf responded.

"Fuk Yu, huh? Good name! My dad wanted to name me that, too. Well, Fuk Yu, where are you from?"

"Fuck you."

"Man, what a great providence! I loved fucking my way through that place with Zhang Zongchang, whilst fucked up on opium. Anyway, do you have any particular jobs?"

"Fuck you."

Alucard leaned in, widening his grin.

"I don't think so."

Suddenly, a ringing sound began emanating from the werewolf's pocket. Alucard fished his hand into the pocket, and pulled out a banged-up flip-phone. The ringing continued, and Alucard glanced at the front of it, reading the name that came up.

Almost immediately, a frown creased his face. He glanced back at the werewolf, and then opened up the phone, placing it on his ear. He didn't speak, but Seras could hear someone speaking from the other end. The entire time, Alucard's face fell slack, into a look of disbelief. For a moment, the voice on the other end fell silent. Alucard's hand began lowering, and Seras noticed that it was trembling. His hand fell down to his side, and the voice began again. It sounded like it was asking for confirmation that the other person had heard.

The phone fell from Alucard's hand, and landed on the top part, snapping closed. Seras watched the phone for a moment, then turned her gaze back up to her Master. His own face was contorted into a look of pure, unadultered rage.

The werewolf, noticing Alucard's demeanor had changed, began laughing.

"Productive conversation", he asked in a snide voice.

In a flash, Alucard wheeled on him, yanking his pistol from its holster, and blew the werewolf's brains out. The werewolf wore a look of surprise on his face, until his neck went slack, and his head tipped forward, blood pouring from the gaping hole in his forehead, staining his pants even more.

Alucard lowered his gun to his side, and turned away from the gory sight. Seething with rage, his empty hand clenched into a fist so hard Seras was certain he would crush his own bones.

"Master", Seras asked cautiously. "Who was that?"

For a moment, it seemed like Alucard hadn't even heard her. Then, slowly, he turned his gaze onto her. His eyes were like knives, piercing straight through her.

"Anna Valarious", Alucard finally said. "The last vampire I sired."