Welcome back! I hope that you guys have all been doing okay, and thank you so much for all of your awesome reviews on the previous chapter! Things seem to have calmed down on my end and I should be less busy, so hopefully gaps between updates won't be as long. I've just had my first COVID vaccine, and my arm is feeling achy, so forgive me if there's extra typos in this chapter. Also, make sure to read the bottom author's note for some news, but for now, I hope that you enjoy the chapter that many of you have been waiting for!
7: Revelations
Sir Integra had always considered herself to be a patient woman. After all, she had to be if she hoped to deal with Alucard all of her life. But she never expected the Police Girl to pose any serious problems and try her patience. Aside from being a bit loud and slow, the young draculina never seemed to pose a threat that needed careful attention. The knight hadn't thought too highly of the girl when Alucard had first brought her back to Hellsing. Despite only the small age difference, Seras had always come across as very naïve and immature; a far cry from what she needed in her soldiers. The girl was bumbling, clumsy, stubborn, and nowhere near what she had suspected when hearing her pet vampire had created his first proper fledgling vampire.
But Integra didn't hate the girl. In fact, the young blonde had quickly grown on her to a point where the Hellsing leader would consider her a friend. She came to view the girl's naivety as more of a sweet innocence, something that was completely juxtaposed against her upbringing, as Walter had revealed when she'd had him do an extensive background check on her. Integra almost saw something of herself in Seras. There was a great deal of strength there. Perhaps that was why Alucard had turned her?
Regardless, Integra had quickly felt at ease with having the new vampire in her ranks. Having being sired by the king of vampires himself, Seras behaved the complete opposite of what she would expect from a vampire of her power and status. The girl hardly ever drunk her blood. She was no threat to anyone. And that was what had made today all the more unexpected and unprecedented. Never had Integra seen Seras behave in such a way. Those glowing red eyes were the eyes of a cornered and dangerous monster. It served as a reminder that Seras was in fact a vampire. A powerful one… a dangerous one…
Integra rubbed her temple with her left hand while reaching for another cigar with her right one. Walter was immediately at her side with a lighter in hand, and she almost sighed with relief when the familiar thick smoke entered her lungs. The nicotine instantly calmed her down, allowing her mind to focus on the new problem Hellsing seemed to have found itself in. Her eyes narrowed as she felt a dark presence return to the manor once more. Its heavy ooze slowly dripped down from the ceiling, crushing all the weak beneath it.
At the sensation, Integra closed her eyes and breathed out a large puff of smoke through her slightly parted lips. Her gloved hands clasped together as she mentally prepared herself for what was about to happen. His grumpiness practically sliced through her, but she gave as good as she got, refusing to hide her own anger and displeasure at the situation. She was the master. She was in charge. Her own displeasure was of more importance. After all, she had the safety of the entire world to consider.
"You're late," were the first words she managed to utter, her tone bland.
The tall vampire before her regarded her behind the orange lenses of his glasses while his lips began to turn downward into a frown. Integra could see that his muscles were locked in place, ready for a fight. The smell of Seras' blood in the air probably wasn't helping his agitation, but Integra couldn't care less right now. Her servant had some serious explaining to do.
"I was unaware of a need to rush back, my master." Alucard's tone also gave nothing away. "But I see that I can't leave for five minutes without disaster falling upon you." The corner of his mouth twitched into the hint of a smirk.
"Don't you get smug with me!" the Hellsing leader barked. "This destruction you see before you is all down to your own little pet!"
"The Police Girl?" he questioned with a small purr. "I must admit that it was very rude of her to hang up on her master and block me out."
"Alucard, this isn't funny." Integra pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Which is precisely why I am not laughing, master."
Sharp blue eyes locked onto the vampire king once again. "The Police Girl was supposed to be your responsibility! How is it possible that she has been able to lock you out like that? The girl can barely control her abilities. You said so yourself that she is an idiot, so how is it possible for an idiotic, half-starved vampire to escape Hellsing grounds and mentally block her master?!"
Alucard sniggered. "I must confess, I am very curious myself. Shall you have me hunt her down?" The excitement that vibrated off him in waves disturbed Integra slightly, but she tried her best not to let it show, maintaining the best poker face she could. She continued to stare at the vampire, considering his words. Obviously Alucard could be the only person to drag the girl back and potentially stop another crazy outburst, but there was one important topic that needed to be addressed first.
"Alucard," she began, "when you returned to the manor, what did you sense?"
The vampire in question stared at her with a neutral expression. This only served to further annoy the knight, while at the same time, also peaking her interest. Despite his blank composure, she had known Alucard for practically all of her life, and most of the time, she was able to read him despite the steel shutters he often placed around himself. Something was bugging him, of that much she was certain. Could he already sense the twins? Did he know? Why not say something?
"Master, might I enquire as to why you're asking?"
"Just answer the question, servant!"
Alucard sighed through his nose in… frustration? "I could sense very little." He began to stalk towards her desk, though Integra and Walter remained completed composed. He could threaten and flex his power all he wanted, Integra refused to be intimidated. His tone was accusing, and she would not tolerate any level of disrespect. Yes, she had been hiding things from him, but she was the master, and she believed it was in everybody's best interest at the time. Her orders, decisions and thoughts were not to be questioned by him.
The vampire king finally came to a stop directly in front of the desk, the runes on his gloves glowing slightly as he rested his hands down on the dark, polished wood. His glasses slid down his nose enough for his red eyes to bore into Integra's blue ones. Despite all of his joking bravado earlier, his eyes revealed the true irritation that lay within. He was pissed. Perhaps Integra should finally put him out of at least some of his misery.
Integra gave him a small smirk. "It is unpleasant to be kept in the dark, is it not, Alucard?"
Alucard's red eyes narrowed at her.
"To have important information hidden from you?"
"Sir…" Walter cautioned, but Integra held a hand up to silence him.
Meanwhile, Alucard looked intrigued and curious to see where she was going with this. One black eyebrow had risen while his eyes remained molten angry pools of lava. Good. She had yet to think of a decent punishment for her servant for concealing vital information from her regarding vampire offspring. This was barely a taste of what would be to come. But for now, the satisfaction that she was angering him and confusing him was enough. Alucard was very much like a spoilt brat; he hated being kept out of the loop.
"Passive aggressive behaviour does not suit you, my master." His lips pulled back to reveal his sharp fangs.
"There is nothing passive about this," Integra growled out, slamming the palms of her hands down on the desk. The wood vibrated from the force of it, shaking some of the papers, and the glass of her ashtray clinked a few times while the shaking settled. The two men in the room remained unaffected by her outburst. Walter kept his eyes on the female knight, watching and waiting in case things got out of hand. Meanwhile, Alucard only seemed to become even more excited and intrigued over what had his master so wound up.
Finally, Integra took another large drag from her cigar before tapping the ashes into her ashtray, her icy eyes always locked on her vampire. Smoke blew from her mouth and nose, rising into the air of the office and hovering like a thick city smog. This time, the nicotine did very little to calm her down. She was unsure of exactly how she was going to approach this, but time was of the essence. Seras and the twins needed to be caught as soon as possible before anything else could happen.
"Tell me, Alucard," Integra finally spoke, deciding to get straight to the point, "what can you tell me of vampire offspring?"
Alucard's smirk instantly vanished, causing her blonde eyebrows to furrow. She knew that he knew something! That blasted vampire had been keeping secrets from her! Just what did he have to gain from such a thing? Integra forced herself to keep her composure as her mind drifted towards Seras and the twins. Is it possible that was why Alucard had changed Seras? He had planned on breeding with her? Powerful vampire children of the no-life king could only be a bad thing. Just what destruction had they released upon the world in the future?
"And I order you not to lie to me," Integra was quick to add. "No more secrets, Alucard. We are aware of their existence and I demand answers."
Alucard's expression remained firm, his voice devoid of emotion when he spoke. "What would you like to know?" The runes on his gloves glowed as he followed his direct orders. But still, Integra didn't like that he was stalling by asking a question. That crafty vampire would not be finding loopholes in her orders this time!
"Everything."
The vampire's teeth snapped together. "You know not what you're involving yourself with!"
Integra raised an eyebrow. "Is that a threat, servant?"
Alucard narrowed his eyes at her. "It is a warning."
"Alucard, sir," Walter interrupted with a slight bow, "it is critical that you are open with us about this subject. As a hunter, I had heard rumours of vampire offspring, but they were always just that: rumours. But surely Abraham Van Helsing would have investigated such a thing? Might I enquire as to why there are no records of such a thing?"
"And do not lie!" Integra reminded the vampire.
"Because Van Helsing had them all destroyed," Alucard finally responded.
The knight and her butler froze with wide eyes. Destroyed? That much they had assumed, but by Van Helsing himself? That didn't make any sense. Why would he do such a thing? They had assumed it was Alucard who had either hidden or destroyed all of the records, but apparently this was not the case. Integra immediately knew that there had to be a good reason behind this. Her ancestor was a crazy, but careful man. There must have been information there that Abraham didn't want revealing to the world – not even the small circle that knew of the supernatural. This was beginning to look even more serious than Integra had feared.
"Why would he do such a thing?" Integra tried to keep her voice from shaking. This could only be bad news.
Alucard's lips twitched back into a smirk. "Because of the sheer world-ending danger the matter possesses."
Both Integra and Walter were unable to contain their gasps.
"Vampire children were always implied to be dangerous, but…" Walter trailed off, deep in thought. "Not that dangerous, surely?"
Alucard let out a dark chuckle. "You misunderstand me, angel of death. It is not the children that you need to worry about, but what is obviously not far behind them: the parents."
Integra's mind cast itself back to Seras. The way she had behaved… it was so unlike her. The protectiveness she seemed to exude over Lily and Luna… it was beyond terrifying. It seemed to have granted her a strength that nobody had been aware of. Even starved of blood, Seras had managed to fight off everyone around her and run off with the two girls.
So that was it.
Both Integra and Walter had been concerned with the wrong things. Lily and Luna were clearly powerful in their own right, but they were not the main source of danger. Seras had been exposed to them. Integra had always been taught from a young age that everything was amplified for a vampire: pain; emotions; urges; needs; instincts. Her father had sometimes likened them to savage animals with little to no civility. Vampires were at the top of the food chain. The rest of us merely dangled by thin webs from their fingertips. They were the ultimate predator. Like any creature on earth – even humans – they had primal needs and instincts. The need to protect one's young was always the most common of them all.
How could Integra have been so stupid?! She should have worked all of this out sooner! But then again, what good would it have done? There was no winning against a vampire's innate instincts. Even the runes could barely contain Alucard sometimes; he still needed to feed. In this moment, Integra felt completely powerless, a feeling she was unused to, nor did she like it. There were things about vampires she still didn't know.
Her glazed-over eyes finally re-focused again to see Alucard watching her reaction carefully. Though his composure was mainly serious, there was still that hint of insane excitement. No doubt he thought he was going to get a good fight out of this situation. Little did he know that the person he may be fighting was his own fledgling. But also, how would Alucard react when he knew that the offspring was his own? That time travel and witches were possibly involved? Would Alucard go as crazy as Seras had? Integra could only see two possible scenarios: either Alucard would have better self-control, or he would be a dangerous force worse than Seras. They were well and truly caught between a rock and a hard place.
"Van Helsing was well aware of the rumours of child-vampires upon my capture," Alucard began explaining in more detail. "Of course this was a matter that he investigated. He tried torturing the information out of me, but even I knew very little."
"How is that possible?" Walter asked, shocked.
Alucard chuckled. "My dear angel of death, you flatter me. For the first few hundred years of my un-life, everything was new and unknown to even me. I learnt not through a master, but through experience. Even human biology was not well understood all those centuries ago, and vampire biology was even more of a mystery. It was not until members of my court began disappearing that rumours began to circulate. At the time, I had thought nothing of it."
"Disappearing?" Integra pressed.
"Every decade or so, a male and female vampire would vanish, only to return decades or even centuries later, and suddenly new vampires would appear, powerful, and with no masters," Alucard continued to explain. "This is what sparked the rumours, but I only discovered them to be true when one of the couples was tracked down by some members of my court. It was there they discovered the babe attached to the mother, her belly round and swollen with another. They were all viciously slaughtered apart from one who returned and delivered the news. It was a miracle that they had managed to get as close as they did."
"So vampires are fiercely protective of their young," Integra surmised, taking another deep drag of her cigar. This was definitely worse than she feared. But at least it explained Seras' behaviour.
"Master, I am failing to see what this has to do with my fledgling and her fleeing," Alucard asked, beginning to grow impatient. "If it is true that you have witnessed a child vampire, Seras needs to be returned this instant, or she could very well be in danger."
Integra glowered at him. "Concerned, Alucard?"
He glared back at her, and she could see the cogs of his mind turning. He knew there was far more to this situation, he just didn't know what, and it was clearly angering him. Her words had struck a nerve for some reason. Could it be possible that Alucard cared for his draculina more than he let on? Integra had never known Alucard to truly care about anything other than himself. There was always an unhealthy aspect of any relationship that he had. He perhaps cared for Integra – he certainly respected her – but that was always in part down to her freeing him and occasionally allowing him to indulge in his murderous antics (as long as she was aiming this at the right people/creatures of course). But Seras was an interesting and mysterious case.
Integra took a deep breath as she drummed her fingers against the desk once. "You have yet to explain why Van Helsing would keep such a secret."
Alucard's smirked returned again. "Oh, but I have, master. As you said, vampires are fiercely protective of their young. To be near a child vampire is a death sentence. They are kept well-hidden and are often impossible to find, and even more impossible to kill. Van Helsing attempted to send me to eradicate them all, but nothing would work. The parents stood no chance against me, they knew this, and so they would flee even deeper into hiding. Besides, it was no permanent solution to the problem. It would not stop future vampires breeding. And so Van Helsing had to learn to be content with the fact that they were a rare phenomenon, study them as much as he could, before destroying his findings, ensuring they remained as mere rumour. I was ordered to remain silent on their existence until you ordered me otherwise mere minutes ago, my master."
"He no doubt wanted to prevent people from going after them and being killed," Walter theorised.
"Precisely." Alucard chuckled again. "Though I would have rather enjoyed watching all of the carnage ensue from arrogant hunters who believed they could stand a chance against such powerful vampires driven to the point of insanity to protect their offspring."
Walter rolled his eyes while Integra sighed, finally placing her cigar down as she tried to think of what to do next. If Alucard knew and found out about the twins, he could very well kill them all. Integra wondered how the runes would hold up against him on that issue, but there was no way she was going to attempt to risk it and find out. Seras had easily escaped, and she had been in such a weakened state. If only she had access to her ancestor's findings. It could maybe help retrieve them and fix things. Integra couldn't believe that two little girls could cause so much trouble. For now, she would just have to keep probing Alucard.
"Have you ever created or considered creating your own little vampire monsters?" she couldn't help but ask with a sharp tone. Knowing Alucard, he would have revelled in the idea of producing such powerful monstrosities. The world was his own twisted little playground, and she knew boredom was the most dangerous emotion Alucard possessed. At the very least, he would have found the whole thing intriguing.
Loud laughter filled the room as Alucard clutched at his chest, his coat shaking and billowing around him as his hysterics continued. "I must admit the thought had crossed my mind when I first found out it was possible for vampires to produce children, but alas, it was impossible for me."
That certainly caught Integra's interest. Did he think himself infertile? "Why is that?"
Another chuckle escaped before the vampire king began explaining again. "I am far from impotent if that is what you were thinking, master."
Integra flushed and pinched the bridge of her nose, pushing her glasses down slightly as she did so. Must he be so crude and crass? This was a very serious situation.
"Again, I am failing to see what this has to do with Police Girl running away." His tone took on a more dangerous edge. "You wouldn't happen to have exposed her to child vampires, would you?"
Integra glared back at him, but otherwise ignored his question. "Enough with the filth, servant, and tell me the truth."
Alucard sighed through his nose, his eyes glowing as his temper flared. "There is a reason that vampire children are rare, and that is because the conditions that lead to their creation are even rarer. Vampire children can only be created through a mated pair."
"Mated?" Integra repeated. This appeared to be something else she had not been told about.
"Allow me, sir," Walter interjected, adjusting his monocle. "It is quite rare and unusual, but vampires are capable of pairing up and mating."
"Like animals?" Integra ignored Alucard's laugh at her response.
"In a way," the butler continued explaining. "I believe you were never taught about it because pure vampires are now so rare in the world. These weak and chipped vampires are incapable of such a thing. It is not known how or why it happens, though I now hypothesize that it is for the purpose of creating stronger vampires, but some vampires do end up taking partners."
Alucard hummed in amusement. "An interesting theory, Walter, but that does not explain same-sex mates."
Integra's eyes widened at all of this new information.
"Ah," was all Walter could reply with in slight disappointment before smirking playfully. "I was so sure that I finally had the answer."
"Is it so hard to believe that vampires are capable of deep bonds?" Alucard's grin spread across his face, reaching from one ear to the next. Both Integra and Walter eyed him suspiciously, and the blonde Hellsing couldn't help but feel like the vampire was toying with them like usual. Deep bonds? The idea was so ridiculous it was almost laughable. Certainly Alucard was not capable of such a thing.
Wait…
Integra froze, her eyes flying wide open, and the nearly finished cigar in her hand fell from her loose grip and into the ashtray. Only mated vampires could produce offspring? The words echoed around and around in her mind as Seras' face appeared before her mind's eye. It couldn't be… Yet… it made everything fall into place… The huge missing piece of the jigsaw had finally been inserted, revealing the bigger picture. Was this why Alucard had turned her? Was this why he got so wound up whenever she was involved in something? Why he always pressed for information on the girl? Why he had saved her countless times?
This was bad. This was very very very very bad.
Alucard and women who interested him were always a toxic mix, from the deadly mistresses of his castles, to the innocent humans Mina and Lucy. It always spelled disaster. There was a selfish loneliness within the vampire that he never seemed to be able to quench. And now, Seras was his next target. The poor girl… Snatched from her human life because Alucard had decided that he wanted her. And what Alucard wanted, Alucard got. Integra could feel her heart breaking for the small blonde vampire she had grown rather fond of. The new toy and… and… breeding whore of the no-life king. Integra hated thinking of Seras in such a way, but that is what it seemed to boil down to.
Her icy blue eyes finally glanced up to meet Walter's worried grey ones. Similar thoughts appeared to be running through his own head as they both made the connection at the same time. Alucard watched their exchange with narrowed eyes, and his rage began to roll off him in waves. Integra turned to glare back at him, horrified over what he had done. He had manipulated her into taking Seras in, and she was far from happy about it.
Before she could stop herself, she was speaking. "Just how long did you think you could keep your little secret about Seras from us?"
Alucard's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, so quickly, that Integra would have missed it if she blinked, but she caught it. His eyes soon turned menacing as he ground his teeth together, hands clenching into tight fists at his side, almost like a child who knew they were about to get into trouble. Integra showed no fear as she glared back him, daring him to try anything or lie to her any further.
"You dare to believe you can manipulate me?!" Integra barked, rising from her chair. Even though she was far smaller than the vampire, she still looked terrifying and imposing in her own right. Her eyes had become as hard as steel as the reality of the situation finally crashed down onto her. Integra had been played. Seras even more so. Now that poor girl was out there, a slave to her instincts, with two children that were essentially mini-half-Alucards. It appeared that Seras had managed to mask their presence well within the manor, but how long would she be able to hold out? She hadn't fed and she had no blood with her. She needed to get Seras back here as soon as possible. Then, with Alucard locked in the dungeon, she would find a way to reveal the truth to him without him causing untold amounts of damage. Integra needed to step carefully. Then maybe, once Alucard had calmed down, he could help find a way to get the girls back to their own time. Not only was this for their sake, but also for the sake of the future. No doubt future Alucard and Seras were tearing the whole world apart looking for them… Integra hadn't even thought about that…
"You are not to go after Seras Victoria, and you are not to go anywhere near her!" Integra ordered.
"What?" This seemed to take Alucard off guard.
"The rest of the organisation will handle things from here!" She stormed her way over towards one of the large windows to look out at the moonlit gardens below. Her arms were crossed over her chest before she raised one of her hands to clutch at the silver cross that hung from her neck. She prayed to God that everything would turn out okay and that no innocent lives would be lost due to all of this. The weight of the world rested on her shoulders once again, but as always, she fought not to collapse under the pressure.
"Master…" Alucard growled from behind her. "There are still some matters which you do not truly understand."
"And just how exactly am I supposed to trust you, servant?" Integra whipped back around, her platinum blonde hair flying around her as she did so. "We are now in a very serious situation, and to get you further involved will result in nothing but death and destruction. I will send Walter and a team of soldiers to retrieve Miss Victoria, while you will be confined to the dungeons where you will await further orders and punishment for your antics and deceit."
Alucard snarled and bared his fangs as the runes on his gloves glowed, keeping him in place. Integra didn't even flinch, shooting the vampire a murderous glare of her own. The vampire would stay down there and tell her everything she needed to know while Walter brought Seras back. Hopefully the draculina would have weakened to a point where not even her instincts could allow her to fight back, and she trusted Walter to not allow any serious harm to befall anyone. He knew what he was doing and was the best of the best. No doubt Abraham would have at least left some notes available on vampire mating, so she could also look through those as well.
In the meantime, however, Integra strode her way back to her desk, tapping a random key on her computer before turning to Walter, ignoring the growling and pacing vampire behind her. "We can always count on Miss Victoria's stupidity and clumsiness to be her downfall. Captain Bernadotte disclosed that she took a Hellsing vehicle, all of which contain trackers." She pointed to the blinking light on the screen that displayed a zoomed in map of the south east of the United Kingdom. The light was cruising its way through Canterbury at high speed. "You know what to do."
Walter chuckled, tucking some of his wires between his fingers. He bowed before his master before shooting Alucard a somewhat sympathetic glance as he made his way out of Integra's office, leaving the two of them in a silent stand off against each other while he went to collect their rogue draculina.
I must admit I was super nervous about writing this chapter given how anticipated it was. I'm not 100% happy with it, but I don't think I ever truly will be. I just hope that I've done it justice and you guys think that it's okay. I really appreciate any feedback that you want to give me (just as long as it's not rude, of course). I'm aiming to update again sometime next week, but I guess we'll just have to see how that goes.
Also, I HAVE A POLL! This was the news I wanted to give you. On my FanFiction profile, you can find a poll asking which Hellsing fic you would like me to write next. 'Amicus' will soon be coming to an end, and this story was never meant to be super long either, so I was wondering what project you guys wanted to see next? I couldn't decide for myself lol. You can find descriptions of the upcoming Hellsing fics on my blog (link in profile) if you want to make your vote. Or you could even just check out the titles and see which one jumps out at you. It's up to you. Many thanks!
