Whoops, sorry, I really didn't mean to make you guys wait nearly a year for the next update. My grandma sadly passed away not long after my last update, so I needed time and grieve and deal with all the family drama that came along with it. I mean, the drama still hasn't stopped, but honestly I'm just numb to it at this point, despite how much they make me want to set fire to my own DNA.
Then I was busy getting my other Hellsing fic, 'Amicus' finished off at long last.
After that, I was hoping to get back to a somewhat normal writing schedule, only then my manager at work decided to make my life hell by going behind my back and trying to force me to do all the Christmas shifts so she could go off and party. Then she tried to get me into trouble with the company when I wouldn't stand for that and demanded the shifts be split equally. I got some legal advice and it turned out that both she and the company were breaking a lot of employment rules, including the fact that I should have had risk assessment completed for me due to my mental health conditions and medications. Oh yeah, and she left my medical information out in the open for anyone to read. Once I threatened them with all their shady shit, they soon backed off. But luckily, I have a new manager now (one that's actually competent at her job), so things have been improving so far.
So yeah, I was going through a pretty dark patch.
Anyway, here's the next chapter at long last...
12: Plan of Action
All Seras could do was stare at Lily, the little vampire holding her head low as she wrapped her tiny arms around herself. However, it wasn't long before Seras was wrapping her own arms around the child in the hopes of providing some comfort, both for herself and for Lily. It sounded like the two girls had been through hell. She just wished that there was something more that she could do to help. However, the idea of going back to Hellsing headquarters for assistance was quickly banished from her mind by some snarling beast inside herself. The young vampire knew it was the logical thing to do, but that rationale was overridden by a suffocating squeeze of her chest, pushing her heart far up into her throat in a paralytic fear.
Seras had frozen solid at the sudden onslaught of all of these sensations. Her earlier nightmare came back to mind, only this time, instead of vipers, it was constrictors trapping her in their coils. Her own arms instinctively tightened around Lily, Integra's words echoing around in her brain. No. There was no way that Seras was willing to risk it. She couldn't let anyone or anything get to these little girls. She had to protect them and hide them no matter the cost. The world was too dangerous.
Something akin to bile began rising in her throat as her breathing quickened...
"Mummy, I'm hungry." Lily's voice brought the other vampire back down to earth.
Seras pulled back slightly to gaze at Lily's face once again. The little girl still looked as rough as she did earlier. Dark circles hung under her red eyes, and her usual porcelain white skin now appeared waxy and pasty compared to its usual doll-like appearance. It seemed that Lily was even struggling to keep her eyes open, and Seras sighed to herself. She should have thought things out better. But she hadn't even been thinking at all when she had whisked the girls away. All of her focus was on getting them out of danger.
"I..." Seras pondered for a moment. "I suppose you can... drink from me... for now."
It wasn't the best idea. Seras knew she was nearly running dry herself, but what choice did she have? Who knew when she would be able to find a decent donated source. She could afford to sacrifice a few pints for now. The last thing she needed was two feral vampires running around and drinking everyone dry; Seras, at least, was used to dealing with intense thirst.
Lily smiled and nodded as her mother offered her wrist out to her. The blonde child struck with deadly accuracy, just like a cobra, and Seras couldn't help but wince at the sharp pain and shock. Two needle-like fangs were buried into her skin, a small tongue lapping up any blood that spilled from the wound. That same sharp pain appeared in her neck again, but Seras tried to ignore it. She was just being reminded of her dream, that's all.
After a few moments, Seras had to gently push the girl away to ensure that she had enough for Luna, who was was still passed out in the middle of the pillows, her little chest rising and falling with each breath. Lily pouted, but seemed to understand as she licked the remaining blood that coated her lips, all the while Seras tried to ignore the now gaping wound on her wrist in case she passed out or something. Her own throat burned and her stomach growled at the scent of blood in the air. The young vampire was forced to hold her breath as she gently took hold of Luna's shoulder and began to shake her lightly.
"Luna," she called.
Nothing.
Seras frowned and shook harder this time. "Luna."
There was a groaning sound, but still, the girl did not move.
"Luna, it's time to wake up," she tried saying more sternly, but that soon turned to worry when the dark haired girl still didn't move.
Seras pulled the sheets back slightly and gasped at how ill the little girl looked. Much like Lily, her skin had also developed a waxy complexion, and there were dark circles under her eyes despite having likely been asleep for hours at this point. Seras choked on her own fear as she began to shake Luna even more, each second now feeling like an eternity the longer Luna remained unmoving.
"Luna!" Seras shrieked, fangs lengthening, eyes glowing, and stomach dropping as the panic consumed her. The television screen cracked and shattered, and the lightbulb above them blew out as Seras began to lose her grip on sanity.
"Luna, wake up!" Lily giggled as she leaped and cannon-balled on top of her sister.
"AH!" Luna yelped before thrashing around, rendering the two of them a messy pile of limbs.
Seras wasn't sure if she would ever be able to breathe or move again.
"It's time to wake up!" Lily bounced on top of Luna again, who grunted under the other girl's weight. "Mummy blew up the TV and you missed it! It was so cool!"
What?
Seras blinked and glanced towards the TV, her eyes then widening in realisation. When did that happen? Had she really done that? The shattered glass scattered across the carpet served as proof, but still, the blonde vampire shook her head in denial. Her eyes turned angry as she brought her gaze back to Luna. Without a second thought, Seras wrapped her arms around the sleepy girl, squeezing her as if terrified she would disappear. Tears stung her eyes, but the young vampire fought them back. All of this stress was driving her crazy.
However, Seras suddenly pulled back and glared down at Luna's small form.
"What were you playing at?!" Seras snapped. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"Huh?" Luna sleepily rubbed her eye with one hand while pushing her sister away from her with the other. Her half-lidded eyes closed again and her mouth opened in a large yawn that showed off her tiny fangs. Her movements were sluggish as she kept blinking the tiredness out of her eyes. At least Lily seemed to have more energy and life to her as she stood up and began bouncing on the bed, laughing merrily to herself.
"What time is it?" Luna grumbled as her eyes shut again and her body wobbled forward to bury her face in the duvet again.
"Late," Seras replied as she got up and pulled the blinds back slightly to take note of the sun that had now nearly finished setting over the city buildings. Traffic grumbled loudly from below them, and people swarmed about like ants. Offices were closing for the day and people were beginning to start their commutes home. However, many stores remained open and full of life. Pubs were becoming crowded and street lights were beginning to glow. Every flash of red made Seras jump, so she quickly closed the blinds again and turned back towards Luna.
"Breakfast time." Seras held out her still bleeding wrist to the sleepy vampire.
Luna followed her nose before latching on in the same way that Lily had done. Seras would have laughed if she wasn't so worried for the two of them. The familiar stinging sensation travelled up her wrist, causing her neck to throb again. Unconsciously, Seras reached her free hand up to rub it once again. She avoided the scar caused by her master, her fingers travelling up before reaching the sore spot on her neck. The sensation was so familiar. But the more Luna drank, the more drained Seras became, rendering her unable to connect the patterns that were dancing around her mind. She shook her head before pushing Luna back to stop her drinking too much.
Luna groaned as she released her mother's wrist, a few stray droplets of blood dribbling from her mouth before she lapped them up with her tongue. Her red eyes grew more alert, just as Lily's had done. She still appeared to be in a rough state, but she was looking much better than she was just a few moments ago.
Meanwhile, Seras herself wasn't feeling too good as she slumped down into the armchair behind her, her other hand covering the wrist that was now barely bleeding at all. The room felt like it was tilted at an odd angle, and it took the starved vampire a few moments to catch her bearings. She really needed to find a source of blood, and fast. If she kept letting Lily and Luna feed off of her like this without replenishing herself, she would have no blood left. Would she pass out again? That would leave the twins alone and vulnerable.
Oh god, Seras gulped as she abruptly shot up and began pacing the room. Two pairs of red eyes followed her every move in silence.
This whole situation was so risky! What was she going to do? They couldn't stay here. They had to keep moving. Deep within her, she knew that Alucard knew she was on the run. But did he know that she knew that he knew? Had Integra sent her master after her? Seras didn't doubt it for a second. She had caused so much trouble. Would her master and Integra even allow her to live after all that she had done? Seras stopped pacing and stared miserably at the floor as she thought about it. She had brought them nothing but trouble.
"Mummy?" Lily's voice jolted the older vampire out of her thoughts.
"Where's daddy?" Luna also began asking.
Seras sighed and dragged her fingers through her tangled blonde hair.
"We've never been apart this long before," Lily continued.
"Don't worry, I told you I would sort this," Luna reassured her sister, placing her hands on her hips dramatically.
Lily rolled her eyes. "You always say that, but you always make things worse."
"I do not!"
"Do too!"
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
"ENOUGH!" Seras yelled without meaning to, almost tearing clumps of her hair out in the process.
Both Lily and Luna flinched back, and Seras bit her lip before looking away awkwardly. She hadn't mean to shout, she just... could really do without the childish behaviour right now. But... they were just children, and it was Seras who had gotten them into this situation. It wasn't their fault that they didn't completely understand what was going on.
With a sigh, Seras once again slumped down onto the bed beside them both. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout."
Luna nodded. "I'm sure Lily is sorry for being annoying, too."
"Ah-ah!" Seras quickly grabbed Lily's raised fist before she could punch her sister. "Please don't fight, I'm trying to think of a way to fix things."
Lily grumbled, but lowered her fist, ignoring Luna's smug smirks.
"Okay..." Seras began trying to think out loud. "So... it was a potion that sent you here, right?"
The two girls nodded.
"So maybe... a potion could send you back?" Seras theorised before getting up and pacing again.
"But mummy, only witches can make potions," Lily responded.
Seras froze and frowned down at the carpet, tracing patterns with her eyes as she remained deep in thought. She remembered Integra saying something about witches being practically wiped out in the UK. But, surely creatures so powerful couldn't be easily killed off? Then again, what did Seras know? Up until a few months ago, she thought that vampires were a mere myth, yet here she now stood. There were many aspects to the vampire myth that were true, and others that were not. Could the same be said for witches? Just how many more supernatural creatures existed out there? Everyone was familiar with the witch trials throughout history, but that's as far as Seras' knowledge extended. Ugh! She wished she had paid better attention in school!
Wait a second...
Seras turned back towards the twins. "Do you two know anything about witches?"
They both nodded.
"You and daddy taught us a lot!" Luna exclaimed, stretching her arms to emphasise her point.
"I don't like them. They scare me," Lily admitted quietly.
Luna sighed and rolled her eyes. "Everything scares you, you big baby."
"Hey! Even you were scared when we got caught by one!"
Seras sighed. "Girls, please focus for me. I really need your help on this one."
The two girls both perked up at this announcement. Smiles tugged at the corners of their pink lips and their backs straightened. Their red eyes sparkled as they suddenly felt useful, and wanted to impress their mum as much as possible. The sight almost had Seras smiling at how adorable they were.
"Witches are dangerous magical creatures that often live in covens far removed from human populations," Luna spoke as if reciting from a text book.
"But their numbers dwindled after the middle ages," Lily continued explaining. "Many were successfully hunted down by humans, as well as other supernatural creatures. Daddy said that even he killed a whole coven once in Transylvania."
Seras' eyebrow twitched. Did Lily have to say that so casually?
"For the most part, they share a lot of traits with humans, and you wouldn't recognise one by appearances alone. The only difference is they have magic in their blood and are able to access the occult. Some of them even managed to make a living among the humans as cunning folk. They'd use spells to help people find lost items and bring them prosperity, as well as heal people," Luna added. "They often have a familiar accompanying them, and can live for hundreds of years."
"Where could we find one?" Seras asked.
The girls shrugged simultaneously.
"I dunno," Luna responded. "There aren't many left."
Seras groaned.
"Although..." Lily frowned while Seras froze in timid hope. "I do remember reading a book from the library once. I'm unsure about their populations in the rest of Europe, but I'm sure it did say something about northern England..."
Seras eyes widened.
Lily continued to think out loud. "Yorkshire? Lancashire? I remember because it was the country that you're from, mummy."
Seras couldn't believe her luck as she moved her gaze towards all the tourist leaflets that had been left on the table by the TV. The word 'Leeds' was written in big bold letters at the top, as well as a list of other places: Bradford, Wakefield, Huddersfield, Halifax. A white rose symbol glittered in the top left corner of the page. Of course! They were already in West Yorkshire! A perfect place to start! The Lancashire border was nearby, and hopping from one county to the other would be easy!
For once, things were starting to work in Seras' favour! Her fatigue had been forgotten about as she began pacing yet again. Lily and Luna giggled at their mother's behaviour before bouncing on the bed excitedly, happy to have pleased their mother. Seras, meanwhile, picked up the leaflet and kept pacing as she read silently to herself.
Integra had often mentioned that the northern part of the country had always given her a headache, due to the wild, supernatural creatures that wandered around freely. Well... they did say it was 'grim up north', Seras thought to herself. She would have to be careful though. No doubt most of these creatures were far from friendly, and once again, Seras pondered about what other monsters could be on the loose out there.
Shaking her head, Seras forced herself to continue reading, paying particularly close attention to the map that had many popular tourist destinations labelled for her. There was the ancient Viking city of York, a few theme parks, beach town destinations such as Whitby. Wait, Whitby? Why did that name seem so familiar to Seras? Of course, she had heard of the place before, but there was definitely some significance there that Seras' stupid brain just couldn't remember. However, Seras just shrugged it off and focused her attention more on the western side, figuring it would be best to look there first.
Okay, if Seras was a witch, where would she hide? Hmmm. Well, if she was trying to remain hidden, she would probably live in the countryside. That's what first sprung to mind when she thought of witches anyway. Some strange cottage in the middle of nowhere, maybe in the middle of some old, creepy forest at the base of a foreboding mountain? Sticking close to the Pennines would probably be her best bet then. Maybe even up into the Lake District? Blue eyes continued to follow routes laid out on the map, focusing more on the smaller towns and villages: Todmorden, Colne Pendle Hill, Nelson... Okay, so maybe this would be a bit harder than Seras originally thought. But at least she was developing some semblance of a plan. That was better than where she was just a few hours ago.
She just hoped she could succeed in her mission before her master found them...
But first, Seras thought as she pocketed the leaflet into her uniform, she would need to sort out some supplies. Blood was obviously her main priority, but when Seras caught sight of herself in the mirror, she knew that she was going to have to ditch her uniform. Though nobody had commented on her strange attire yet, it wasn't exactly conspicuous. What the hell was Integra thinking with the mustard yellow colour?
Seras then turned her attention towards Lily and Luna, who were still watching her, looking slightly confused at their mother's silence. They were still in the dresses that Walter had lent them the day before. Seras wasn't sure if vampire children could feel the cold, but they would definitely need some more suitable attire if they were going to be running around the dales and moorland. Her first priority was to always make sure that Lily and Luna were well taken care of. She hated the idea of wasting precious time, but it was going to have to be done. Besides, the train should have shaken Hellsing and her master off her scent, buying her some much needed time. It was a risk that needed to be taken, she thought to herself as she glanced through a small gap in the blinds. Luckily, it was the middle of winter, so the sun had now set despite it only being four o'clock in the afternoon.
"Are we going witch hunting, mummy?" Luna finally asked, breaking the silence.
Lily whimpered and shrank inwards. "I don't like this idea so much..."
Seras sighed and kneeled down in front of them. "I know this is going to sound crazy and scary, but it's the only way I can think of to get you back home. If witches can create time travel potions, maybe I can convince one to help me and you two."
"What if we encounter the mean witch?" Lily asked.
"The mean witch?" Seras frowned in confusion.
"The one that hates you," Luna explained.
"Oh... ummm..." Seras was taken aback for a few seconds before managing to reason, "I don't think that will be a problem. I haven't met any witches yet, and I don't think I'll be making an enemy of one anytime soon. That issue is obviously something that comes up far into the future." She hoped, anyway.
Both Lily and Luna looked slightly uncertain, but nodded.
Seras tried to offer them a reassuring smile and grabbed their hands tightly in her own. "I promise you both that I am going to fix this. I'm going to get you back home safely. I won't let anything ever hurt you."
"You pinkie promise?" Lily whispered before offering out her pinkie finger on her free hand.
Seras giggled and locked her own pinkie with Lily's. Not wanting to be left out, Luna joined in, and Seras kissed both of their tiny hands without a second thought. It had felt like the most natural thing in the world to do. There was a low rumble in her chest as she rested her head against theirs. Seras allowed herself to enjoy the moment of breathing in their scents, content that they were both safe in her arms. She never wanted to leave this moment. Her whole body shuddered as a purring sound came from deep within her throat. Seras' eyes widened and she pulled back slightly, but both Lily and Luna looked unfazed by what had just happened. They both continued to cling onto her hands for comfort.
Did... did she just purr? Okay... that was slightly unnerving. She had no idea vampires could purr like cats! How embarrassing...
"Anyway..." Seras cleared her throat awkwardly, making a move to stand back up.
"When will we see daddy?" Lily asked.
Seras had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. This was getting rather repetitive.
She hoped that they would see their father again very soon, just not the one from this time... The mere thought made Seras shiver in fear. It was like an ice cold rod had replaced her spine, and her heart gave a frightful squeeze. Everything will be fine, Seras began mentally repeating to herself.
"Very soon." Seras tried her best to sound reassuring. It wasn't exactly a lie after all.
Both girls smiled, looking relieved.
"Now," Seras then announced, clapping her hands together, "it's time for us to go shopping."
Sorry if this chapter wasn't a good quality one and a little on the shorter side; I was feeling a bit rusty as I was writing this, plus it was also on the slower side. Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things . Feel free to leave a comment and let me know your thoughts, as they're always greatly appreciated. Join us next time as Seras discovers the joys of shopping with two young kids lol.
Also, if anyone is interested, I've now made a new blog. My old one broke and was beyond fixing, and was just a total mess. It functions pretty much the same as my old one. It will contain sneak peaks of future stories, fan art people have made of my work, behind the scenes information such as story trivia, concept art and OC profiles (including one for Lily and Luna). I'm just hoping it will be a cool, friendly space for people who are interested in more information about my fics. You can even follow it and receive email notifications when I post something new. You can find it at thetauruspixie dot blogspot dot com. Stupid FFN won't let me post the proper link, but you get the idea.
