Waller gave me a blank stare, I'm sure if I were her subordinate or even the slightest bit cautious of her, it would've unnerved me.
So as an open sense of defiance I gave her a cheeky smile, "Thanks Amanda, we're square now." I shut the file in my hands and tucked it at my side.
Her jaw clenched as her back teeth grind against each other, "Square?"
"Yep, and its better if we left it there, because you know what they say about making deals with the devil."
"Then let's head to Georgia." She foolishly muttered, a hint of ego growing around her at the moment, I could respect game when game deserved respect. Waller was the definition of a cunt, and she owned it, but if she thought that me coming here and cashing in the favour she owed was an invitation to use Rachel against me, then she was more fool hardy then I had thought.
Rachel spent her entire life in Azarath, she didn't have an identity on earth, so to nip the future headache I asked the spook to set it up for me, Rachel Roth was the daughter of Angela Roth and Rowan Clearant. Who in turned ended up in the care of her estranged father when her mother sadly passed away. It was flimsy but there wasn't a whole lot of reasons to poke into the cover.
The reason why I asked Waller to set up the false documents as opposed to Lucifer using whatever sway the man fucked his into or possibly the likes of Batman flashing his cash, was well, I may not be an active agent of Hellsing, but when you bled for your country and commanding officer, loyalties were hard pressed to forget.
The best way of getting information unnoticed was being brazen as hell, something Alucard taught me all too well with his zany personality, personalities?
While all eyes were on me, they weren't likely to notice Ori who dimmed down his glow as he went into espionage mode, and swiped data off the terminals in Amanda's command centre. Perhaps she was overconfident and thought I wouldn't make a move here of all places, or perhaps she was daring me to try it so when I was caught red handed, she had some leverage over me.
That would make sense, then again, I could read in between the lines, as her eyes lingered on the folder tucked away under my arm, exploiting Rachel as she was now a viable weakness to me also made sense, but yet, she should know better than to ever try something like that.
I would and have shrugged off damage and torture with nary a smile, but to get at me by targeting some else, someone that I cared about…
"210 Highlands Street, Jackson."
Amanda cocked an eyebrow and looked at me with a questioning look, as I rattled the seemingly meaningless sentence.
The command centre was dead silent, so we all heard the sharp intake of breath as a man stood up with a fearful look.
"You have a beautiful family." I murmured to the man as I watched Amanda's reaction, she played her role well, but the eyes were indicators for a reason.
"8 Loweltach Avenue, Gotham." A woman shuffled back as she fumbled with the gun on her holster, "You should really speak to your parents more." I admonished with a light tone, "All of those supposedly missed calls." I tutted with a mocking air.
Amanda sent the woman a sharp look and the useless iron was lowered.
I took a step forward towards Amanda, "1 Deltic, Washington." She stood firm, her face didn't budge, "26 Jeremiah Street, Metropolis." Her safe house got more of a reaction than her obvious bait of a home, "55 MK, Cape City." A step back was what I was given, the ever so slight change of her breathing, I leaned in, inhaling the scent of fear.
"Don't ever think you can fuck with me Amanda." I adjusted the collar of her immaculate pant-suit, "I will wreck you shit. But only when you have nothing left. Only when I rip Argus apart, brick by brick, personal by… well you know where I'm going with this."
Leaning back, I cleared my throat and gave her a cheery smile, "If you're ever in Alaska, hit me up. We could get a drink or somethin'."
I wasn't a natural empath like Rachel or Maze but the vitriol that wafted off her Amanda Waller was palpable. Good, hate me for all my worth, but know your place.
'Tegra sighed as she reclined in her fancy smacy chair that probably costed the equivalent of a house deposit, in fact everything in this office screamed old money, it even smelled like it, or well that's the scent I now associate it with.
I wasn't exactly hurting for money, well not anymore in a literal sense, climbing the ranks and becoming one of the tops of Hellsing paid well, but everything I owned was practical and had a purpose, but for 'Tegra, well considering the role she leads and the eyes on her, she was forced to dress and act for the job.
For all that she interacted with she was Sir Integral Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, the leader of Hellsing, and the only person who could directly order the No Life King.
To me, she was simply 'Tegra, the girl who was my childhood friend. I was raised alongside her in this world, when mum was on missions, I occupied her room in the manor, and seeing how there weren't many other children, Interga naturally gravitated towards me.
Honestly, I was shocked at how easy it was being her friend, most other kids were… well they were kids, dumb, immature and childish, for that's what kids were supposed to be and I couldn't and wouldn't fault them for that. Yet 'Tegra even before her father's passing was an incredibly sharp child with a sweet personality, in addition with my isolated childhood the two of us became stuck at the hip.
And even when tragedy struck us both and we molded to our roles, hers being the leader of Her Royal English Legions of Legitimate Supernatural and Immortal Night Guard, and me being one of its greatest field assets, there was still a part of us that held onto our relationship.
She ran a gloved hand through her blond locks, "Any chance," Her eyes smiled at me behind her silver rimmed glasses, "this also means you're coming back?" She indicated to the secure flash drive that Argus data.
"No 'Tegra." I shook my head, and picked up one of her cigars she kept in a box on her desk, with it hanging loose in my mouth and a snap of my fingers I lit the aged tobacco, inhaling the devil-send smoke, "But that doesn't mean you can't call on me when I'm needed."
"Daddy Rowan needs to be back home, right?" She stood up with a swagger to her hips and a breathy voice, when she was in reach she plucked the lit cigar out of mouth and took a deep drag of it, all the while staring me dead in the eyes.
We held the stare for a good thirty seconds before we both broke and started laughing. Eventually the laughter died down and we sat next to each other on the edge of her desk.
The scent of her hair invading my nose as she leaned against me with a slight rigidness of her shoulders. It was a mix of intimate and not, as was our relationship now that I thought about it.
She chewed her bottom lip and let out a sigh, "You're a dad now."
"I always wanted kids." Kids that I was allowed to raise…
Thinking about a certain nine-tailed fox and her two kits would always bring a sense of pain to me.
'Tegra let out a soft laugh, "Even when you were a kid, you wanted them. I just thought it would be… me." She finished softly and with a hint of something I couldn't put my finger on.
I bumped my shoulder against hers, "Say the word and I'd mount you here and now." I teased which only got a smirk from the woman.
Human lives were too short for me to worry about weird boundaries and fucked up relationships, I had a close bond with 'Tegra but I was also a messed-up person with a long live span, I wasn't going to live a life of regret anymore.
When it came to my relationship with humans I delved in headfirst, 'Tegra and Jo, I would be who they wanted for as long as they wanted. But women like Maze and Hel, our relationships were a mess that really shouldn't ever be considered a bond… oh Lucifer damned I really do have a type.
Why is it always edgy women? The meaner the better… I should probably get help, but honestly, I don't care.
"To be fair, I thought the kid would be mine, but considering…" Devils originated from the angels that fell alongside Lucifer, they made up the houses that exist now. Generations of incest, breeding with other mystical creatures, and even the other houses led to the devils that exist now. All except for the Phenex clan.
Devils were hard pressed to reproduce but it was possible. Devils of the other houses had a rich history that they could trace back with several dozen generations, the Phenex Clan could only trace back to four generations where would hit the angel that fell beside Lucifer.
It was nothing short of a miracle that Lord Phenex with his sister-wife had four kids, plus me. Considering the youngest boy of my 'trueborn' brothers is a fuck-boy there should have been more half-breeds around, but barring me, there weren't any with the blood of Phenex.
In theory I could have kids with a human like Interga, but in reality, without a supremely powerful being doing an archaic ritual of fertility, if I did the simple math of my sire's family history and the time devil race has been around, it seemed likely I wouldn't be having kids with a mortal.
I am an anomaly. And I had a strong suspicion that there were some hijinks involved with my conception, but that facet of information was something I wasn't ever going to touch upon.
"The thing is with Rachel…" I let out a sigh as I thought about the half demon girl, Trigon wasn't a demon from hell but a transdimensional creature that bore an uncanny similarity to demon-kind.
If it waddles like a duck, quacks like a duck, then it's a horned cunt, that I'm going to gouge his eyes out and feed them to him. Fucking bastard eased off haunting his daughter but it was obvious he was simply in wait.
Whoever said time healed trauma obviously hadn't encountered the psyche of a pre-teen girl watching her mother die. Angela deserved better, she was a sweet woman, a witch who had simply wanted to use her limited magic to help those around here, and of course that drew the attention and got her life ruined by Trigon, and yet she adored Rachel going so far as to raise the girl how she was raised. Rachel may have been raised in Azarath but Angela didn't allow for Rachel to forget she was human.
"The kid needs me," I shrugged my shoulders, "doesn't matter if I'm ready or not."
'Tegra gave me a smile, "In spite of everything, in spite of who raised you, you're a good man," She gave me a shy smile, "and I always thought you'd be a greater father."
And yet Integra Hellsing and I weren't meant to be. She needed to continue her name eventually, and we couldn't be selfish to the order even when the order has done nothing but consume our lives.
When 'Tegra crushed the cigar in her ashtray, I leaned forward and cupped her chin, kissing her softly.
"Another time," She said softly when I pulled back.
"Another life." I finished.
Saying goodbye to my oldest friend wasn't so painful as the last time, perhaps both of us held on to some foolhardy hope.
…Hope. What a dangerous concept for folk like us.
Rachel shuffled out of the changing room with a skittish gait. Her flush faced when she most likely picked up on my amusement.
"If this is what you like, then it's what you like kiddo."
Her gothic and macabre roots were taking place it seemed. Dark black clothing, some with ghostly figures of monsters and creatures, that I've dealt with before, printed on them.
"Ar-re you sure this is okay? You've already bought me…" Her face glowed even further as she thought about the feminine items and products, we brough her prior to this gothic themed shop. Thankfully the kindly older lady who checked up our items didn't comment on the purchases, but her knowing smile did seem to further embarrass the young girl.
"Rea." I placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, "Living with me doesn't just mean you're going to be protected," Protected but not quite safe, not with who she is and even who I am, but I promised I'll protect her as much as I can, "it means I'll try my best to make you happy kiddo."
Her lips quirked in a watery smile, and she took a deep breath as she walked back into the changing room, it wasn't long before checked out the various goth themed clothes and headed towards the pickup.
A soft smile on her face all throughout, as well as a sense of excitement to her. Looks like she was looking forward to what was coming next.
"Looks like Ori's made quite the impression on you." I teased the girl causing her to give me a sheepish smile.
"It's like having a pet, right? Getting a familiar?" She questioned me as I started the car and hit the salted road.
"In a broad sense yeah, but not really. Most of the time a familiar is a representative of who you are, they become a part of you. Bound to you. Its rare that familiar would survive past their master's death."
Rachel hummed as she went into a deep thought, it must have been something confusing considering how her face was scrunched up.
She quizzed me on the various types of creatures that we'd possibly encounter today, something I indulged despite the fact we'd probably see maybe two or three creatures when we'd enter the forest, it seems like she had an inquisitive mindset, that tended to bode well when coupled with magic users, but at the same time it could also prove to be maddened, magic was about doing the impossible and some slash most of the time there wasn't always rhyme or reason to it.
Eventually, we got home and I motioned for Rachel to open the locks, and with a giddy smile she waved the doors unlocked, "Atta girl." She beamed up at me and helped me unload her stuff from the car. Though she had insisted that she unpacked her stuff, not that I was going to argue, her room was bare, just the essentials and that was it.
I hardly ever had guests that required a room of their own…
Still, I wanted Rachel to make herself home and what better way than to let the young girl decorate the spacious room to her liking?
Soon enough she interrupted me from cooking when the sun was setting in this 'warm' summertime. Her body was shaking with excitement once again, and I had to wonder how did this little ball of energy that resembled a sugar-high chipmunk ended up as the emotionless girl that was her comic slash TV show counterpart?
The scum that was Trigon, of course. Emotions were powerful, and anger and hate was a sickening addiction for half-breed creatures like her and I, but to repress your emotions like that… It had to be to hide away the hurt and pain…
There is no joy without hurt. There is no love without hate. There is no happiness without sadness. To control your emotions was fine, but to suppress them is not living a full life.
Rachel will live a good life, she'd get to experience it all with me.
"Can I try to cast the spell?" She looked up at me with those doe eyes as if I'd fall for that cutesy shtick. Jokes on her, that doesn't work on me.
"Nope." I poked her nose for good measure, "Teleportation spells are no joke." And they sure as hell didn't work like the Marvel counterpart or the one from DxD, I kinda wished they did, they were broken as all hell, the closest ones I've seen to either of them were used by extremely powerful beings like the gods, and even still there were caveats to them.
Thank funk for that, because I really didn't need Hel of beings appearing in my bedroom and try and fuck me and then kill me, or kill me and then fuck me, and sometimes both at the same time.
I begrudgingly had to admit I was glad that power was limited even if I wanted it for myself.
"We'll go through it eventually, but you've got to learn how to crawl before you can run." I started the spell by drawing a ritual rune on the wooden ground beneath us. Ori hopped onto my shoulder when I stood up straight.
"I'm fairly sure that's not how the saying goes." She mumbled to herself.
Activating the ritual spell that took a few good moments to work, in time the runic glyph beneath our feet shone and an orange fire encompassed us. The stuffy feeling of my hot kitchen was replaced with a cold sense air as we were now in a dusky forest not all too dissimilar to where our home was located though it was akin to swampy then northern forest-like.
"Ahoy." An elder man greeted us, "You're the Phenex kid ain't ya?" He stood in front of me, and I was glad for it, the man was smart enough not to stand before a child of a devil. We were protective of our spawn, considering how few of them there actually are, "You don't got the colouring of one, but not many travel in flames like you do."
"Huh?" Rachel questioned the man's words.
"The spell requires a sense of essence from you. For me, its flames considering my sire." I shrugged my shoulders, "For you, you'd probably have something akin to shadows." We didn't mention her sire but we didn't beat around the bush either.
She nodded her head with ease, if she was okay with the information was anyone's guess, but I didn't have the opportunity to question it considering we weren't alone.
"My brother forewarned that I'd be…"
The man wasn't paying any attention to me, his eyes widened in complete shock as he gazed at my shoulder. Ori just tilted his head in confusion at the notice.
"That… that's a… wow."
"I don't understand." Rachel looked at Ori in confusion, my familiar was shining all the more brighter as we were in his former home dimension, "What's so special about Ori?"
That question shocked the Familiar Master out of his stupor, "What's so special about a Spirit? That's like saying what's so special about an Elder Dragon!?" He then suddenly shook his head, "Maybe not as powerful or grandiose, but perhaps just a rare. And never has a Spirit chosen to be a familiar let alone to a devil." The man turned his attention to me, a hint of wonder gracing his face.
A blank expression on my own, "Don't get any ideas, Ori is simply stupid." My familiar chattered something in my ear, most likely feeling insulted at my words, "What? You clearly are, I told you time and time again. I'm a class-a wanker, and you're better off not attaching yourself with me."
Ori wildly waved his arms about, "We are not having this argument again." I grounded out hoping that this would stop the usual BS that came from his mouth. Stupid pure hearted warrior nonsense.
Ori didn't heed my words and continued on much to my annoyance and Rachel's amusement, I shooed the girl off and let her go through the motions, I had told her she'd just need to walk wherever she felt a certain type of yearning.
The wand chose's the wizard, the kyber crystal called for the force user, and the familiar reached out for their master. Even if the master was ill compatible with said familiar.
I leaned against a tree as Rachel walked into a clearing of sorts, Ori had run out of steam and was looking away from me with something akin to a pout. All the while the Familiar Master was writing into a worn out note book as his gaze kept switching between Ori and the paper in his hand.
"What now?" Rachel asked over her shoulder as nothing seemed to be around here, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"Cast a spell, whatever spell feels right." I said softly with a smile.
Rachel's face scrunched up once again and she let out a deep sigh, 'We're our own people, just because we share similarities to our sire's, does not mean we're them.' Nature vs Nurture, Rea. Use it, own it, don't let it define you, you define it.
A wispy red shadow appeared in her hands, it was a shadowy like fire, the Familiar Master was the furthest away from her and he still took a step back but ignored him for the most part as I kept my eyes on the girl.
Her face turned blank as she stared deep into the flames in her palm, her eyes so lost, her mind elsewhere, but not so much as it seemed, when she felt something gently land on her shoulder she looked up and saw the shining black eyes of a raven.
"Nevermore." She said softly and the bond was complete. Her face was graced with a smile once again.
There was something unique about seeing a familiar bond with their master, but that still didn't stop me from chuckling, "Nevermore?"
"What?" She squeaked out, "It fits."
"It's cliché as heck, Rea-Rea." Her face flushed like nobody's business.
"Please don't call me that." She pleaded.
"Fine my Little Raven," I tested which also got a supremely red face but also a small happy smile, and I settled for that from now on, "let's go home."
Ori let out a little huff and smacked me with his tail as he got off me and hopped over to Rachel's unoccupied shoulder.
"You deserved that." Rachel starched Ori's chin as Nevermore introduced herself to my familiar.
"Woes is me, for my little ones take splendour at my pain."
Rachel was trying her best to hold back her laughter but once a small chuckle escaped her, it all came loose like a flood gate. She ended it with a little snort, and I couldn't have been more happy to see her truly laugh for the first time.
A/N - 2023/12/14
Yo, thanks for the support.
Probably just realised that this story won't be for everyone. Especially in terms of 'pairings'.
Certainly not Raven, only a father-daughter relationship between them.