AN: I'm sorry this is long. There was a lot I wanted to cover but didn't want to split this into two chapters. At least this part is finally out of the way. I'll admit I wish I could have invested more in some scenes, but I suppose I'll have to save that for upcoming chapters. I also feel like Integra is kinda OOC here, but, given the circumstances, I think it's understandable.
There's also an OC, but she's just a means to an end. Also, I revisited this chapter and noticed a small continuity error that I went back to fix by changing a scene; I didn't entirely like the implications this new development can potentially lead to, but it was the best I could do at the time and served to correct that mistake, so it's fine, I guess.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!
#
Chapter 2
"So, how have you been feeling?"
Integra sighed and rested her arms on her sides.
"Not the best, actually. I'm still feeling tired. I had cramps yesterday too."
Amelia had her lie down on the examination table and placed her stethoscope on different parts of her stomach.
"How painful were these cramps?"
She shrugged.
"More like a mild discomfort; oh, and the nausea comes and goes."
The apparatus was removed and Amelia moved away from the table without a word. The director sat up and was about to follow her physician back to her desk, but stopped herself when she was signaled to stay.
"There's another exam I'd like to perform."
A mere eyebrow was raised. Circumstances had driven each one of them to follow different paths in their lives, but it still felt like time hadn't passed at all every time they met. It had been fortunate that Amelia was the one chosen to become Integra's personal doctor: she was one of the few people with whom the Hellsing lady felt comfortable talking about certain subjects.
"I had your blood test emailed to me," the doctor told her as she returned to sit by the table, a few sheets of paper on hand. "I want to read it with you."
A light dizziness threatened to take over as Integra shifted to lay her back against the wall.
"Ugh… Alright, let's take a look."
Amelia grabbed her pen and began pointing at the many designations and numbers. Each line and column described a particular factor and its normality spectrum. The blonde Englishwoman followed the movement of her pen with tired eyes, hoping this would be over soon.
"Blood count is overall okay, but your red cells are a little low, which usually indicates anemia," she began. Integra nodded with disinterest: she admitted she didn't eat a lot of meat.
The doctor continued.
"Nothing to worry about, though; let's boost up your iron intake and you'll be fine. Normal levels for your cholesterol, too."
Small pen marks were ticked on every page as Amelia addressed the many indicators on the exam. She pointed at one at the very end with a little more enthusiasm.
"I want to talk about this one," she circled that specific factor and paused for a moment. "Know what it is?"
The name was read, but it didn't sound familiar at all.
"I don't."
"This is a hormone," she explained. "It's called human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, and it's produced by the placenta."
No sound was uttered. Integra thought she heard the word 'placenta' and waited for her friend to correct herself. When she didn't, she felt her heartbeats accelerate a little. Her mind, however, insisted this wasn't making any sense.
"The… placenta?" She stared at her friend, her eyes barely blinking.
Amelia nodded with a smile.
"Yes! We'll be doing an ultrasound scan now, but it's pretty much confirmed."
The director held the edge of the thin mattress with more vigor, her body tensing up.
"This-this can't be…"
A small beeping sound was heard as the machine booted up. The doctor shuffled under the examination table her patient was sitting on to reach for a tube of cold gel.
"You told me you're having sex, and unprotected sex for that matter, your period has been missing for a few weeks-"
"I also told you he can't have children and you know my period is irregular," Integra was quick to cut her but lay down slowly as instructed.
Amelia began applying the gel to the tip of the probe and did the same to the director's now bare stomach. She winced lightly at the cold feeling against her skin.
"We will talk about that later, okay? Your symptoms and your test results, it all matches. Now, let's see what we have here…"
The probe was dragged around her abdomen with delicate pressure. Integra turned her head to the side to look at the computer screen her doctor was examining. She couldn't make sense of the black and white image displayed, and blinked in surprise when Amelia froze it.
"There it is," she pointed at a small circular shape. She reached for a few paper towels to wipe the gel off Integra's body. A number of keys on the machine were pressed, and it began printing the image previously shown.
She handed it over to her startled friend, who accepted it with trembling hands.
"That is the embryo. It's still very small, but it will grow, obviously. Congratulations, dear."
The table shifted slightly as Integra sat up and stared at the print. Her doctor washed her hands in a sink nearby and made her way back to her desk. Despite having her eyes fixed on it, the Hellsing lady couldn't properly focus. Her mind was racing, although her heart beat even faster. An obnoxious amount of thoughts invaded her, but she found herself unable to voice any of them.
She jerked her head up when Amelia called.
"I can see this is coming as a surprise to you, which… is a little unexpected. To be honest, though, it's new to me as well, so how about we help each other out?"
The small distance between the two was crossed and Integra took a seat in front of her. She furrowed her brows, hardly listening to what the doctor was saying.
"What… what are you talking about?"
Amelia sighed.
"Your period being irregular is irrelevant at this point, but you did say he can't have children. Assuming you're not lying to me and he's indeed your only sexual partner, it might be that you are mistaken about something."
The director looked down and frowned. It was impossible to deny her condition; she was pregnant without a doubt. She felt her face warming up at the prospect of her friend being right about her ignorance.
The chair creaked as Amelia continued her explanation.
"Although it's early to say, it looks like you're going through an ordinary pregnancy, which is great. There is nothing wrong with you, but I've never seen it happen before." She rested her back on the chair, her eyes fixed on a rather distraught Integra. "I need more information on A and, well, anything you can tell me, alright? And I want to monitor you closely."
The room remained silent for a few moments. Integra lifted her arm up and stared at the print with dazed eyes. Amelia shifted forward to grasp her by the hand, to which she looked up and locked her eyes on the doctor's.
"Hey," she told her gently, rubbing her fingers. "It will be alright. You have a lot to digest right now. Go home and rest. Talk to mister Walter, talk to A, and you have my phone number."
When the two stood up, the doctor enveloped her friend in a tight hug. Integra struggled to keep her calm, and took deep breaths to avoid sobbing. A few more encouraging words and important medical advice were enough to soothe her for the moment and she left with another appointment scheduled.
#
The car ride had taken forever. A strange cosmic convenience had told her to go to the doctor by herself recently. It had been a good thing too, because all the way back home Integra had cried and cursed everything and everyone, especially herself for her imbecility. How could she not have had the foresight to see this might happen? How could she allow her work to take over her life and prevent her from continuing to study? Why was this happening to her, of all people?
She arrived at the manor and announced her presence in a hurry, barely paying any attention to her surroundings. Walter appeared from the living room and greeted her with a smile, cleaning a delicate teacup.
"Welcome back, princess," he raised an eyebrow at his charge walking swiftly towards the stairs. He made no mention of following her. "Did doctor Amelia say anything?"
Integra shook her head and began climbing up the steps.
"Everything's fine, Walter, thank you."
The butler rested the teacup on the counter and kept looking at her, studying her behavior. He stared apathetically as Alucard phased through the stairs and blocked her way. The Englishwoman rolled her eyes with a groan.
"You look ill, master. Are you sure these visits are doing you any good?" He grinned, flashing his pointy teeth.
Integra frowned and turned her head to the side to avoid his gaze.
"I feel well enough, servant."
He came closer and towered over her, forcing her to take a step back.
"White-coat must really like you, then, for wanting you to return so many times."
She pushed him away and marched towards the upper floor. She only stopped her angry advance when she reached the top, and called out to her subordinates.
"I'm tired of hearing about my health! Stop talking about it!"
When he noticed her continuing down the hallway, ignoring her bedroom, Alucard's grin disappeared. He squinted his eyes and growled lowly at the Angel of Death.
"Walter, what is wrong with her?"
The vampire tilted his head as the butler smirked in response.
"I suppose we'll find out soon."
#
She opened the door to the attic and found moderate darkness; turning on the switch didn't help much. The place was hardly ever used, too. It served essentially as a depository, although thanks to Walter's meticulous habits, it was kept clean and organized. Integra walked towards the many towers of documents, and had no issue finding what she was looking for, as everything was appropriately tagged and labeled.
Abraham had many files on Alucard and his experiments, but he was as practical as Hellsing's butler. Integra went through a folder dedicated to the monster's biology, which he had separated by systems. When she found the object of her interest, she sat on the floor and skimmed through it, paying closer attention to specific portions.
"Operation 'Dry Scalps' turned out unsuccessful for the third time. Perhaps it is due to a cross-reaction with the entity's regenerative skills, although it is not possible to ascertain proper functioning of the system due to the beast's innate condition as a Spawn of the Night. Its metaphysical core is capable, however, of simulating ordinary human bodily functions, more often than not without entity's awareness.
I am growing tired of these operations. I am also aware this entity's offspring could draw the attention of our enemies, and I've yet to hear of danger to bearers. Thus, I have decided to divert our resources to other, more important fields, and chose my original idea as our new course of action.
Staff is to make use of misinformation and manipulation. If the entity does not know what it is capable of doing, it has no reason to experiment. It is subdued enough to assimilate anything told as indisputable truth. Further details on this new approach to be tackled in future-"
The sheets of paper fell to the floor and formed a small mess. Integra squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her nose. Her body was sweating and nausea began building up. Amelia had been right after all. She picked up the ultrasound print and stared at it for a while, wondering about all the horrible consequences that would certainly come from this.
She bit her lower lip, and swallowed that crying nod that began forming in her throat. The print fell to the floor as she shut her eyes again and threw her head back to rest it on the wall.
What am I going to do now?
"Master?"
Her chest expanded as she took a deep breath. Of course this would happen: her behavior would have alerted her monster that something wasn't right with her. She turned to the side to see Alucard staring wide-eyed at the pool of paper sheets around her. He fidgeted, having immediately recognized the material as Abraham's logs.
"Those things are cursed," he forced a smile. She didn't react, her eyes resting lazily on his discomfort. He meant to take a step forward but stopped himself, afraid to come any closer. "You know I will tell you anything you want, master. You have no need to resort to… that."
Integra smiled at him and shook her head. Her vampire furrowed his brows and curled his lip at her reaction, the white of his teeth shining through. She seemed worse than the previous days.
"I'll have Walter find you a better white-coat. This one's making you more ill."
She inhaled deeply again, realizing she wouldn't be able to hide this from him. Slowly, she picked up the print and stood up, supporting herself on the wall. She stepped over the paper sheets and walked towards him, feeling like her legs were made of jelly. Alucard ran his eyes up and down her frame and fixed them on her face when she stopped before him.
"I'm not ill," she told him weakly. "I'm… pregnant."
The vampire blinked at her for a few moments. A cruel thought of betrayal crossed his mind, and the attic became somewhat darker and quieter than before, as if being enveloped by a cold shadow. He then shook his head with a frown.
"I beg your pardon, master, I think I misheard."
The print was unconsciously pocketed in her pants. She sighed before clarifying.
"You didn't. My symptoms, my tests, what we've been doing, everything matches. I'm pregnant."
Alucard felt a shiver run down his spine. He curled his lip and stared right into her eyes, his own shining bright red. Integra allowed him to explore her mind: she was expecting his disbelief, and was too tired to argue with him about it. A second later he jerked back, walked towards the opposite wall and shook his head. She watched as he began ranting a loud, confused monolog, his face now contorted into a maniacal grin.
"It, it can't be… but she isn't lying, it was seen. There is no one else, but, but it cannot be done, absolutely not; but then, how did- how did this happen?"
He suddenly turned to face her. The grin disappeared and was replaced by a snarl.
"How did this happen?" He asked, almost silently.
She frowned at him.
"I shouldn't have to explain that to a grown man."
Her sarcasm made him accidentally growl.
"Master, I can't sire," he emphasized the last word.
Integra sighed. Did he not see what she had just read? Did he miss parts of her memories? She ignored his small misdemeanor; she couldn't fault him for feeling betrayed and confused.
"Actually, you can. You've been lied to," she told him before turning around to grab one of the pieces of paper lying on the ground. He watched attentively as she returned, and jumped back covering his eyes as she handed him Abraham's document.
"Cursed!"
"Don't be stupid, you know these seals don't hurt you anymore. It's all there if you want to read it," she told him, slamming the paper on a nearby table. Somewhat surprised that Integra would allow him access to the material, and after staring at her for a few seconds, he swiftly took the piece of paper and gave it a quick read.
In a few moments, his expression had flipped from startled to enraged. With glowy, red eyes, he grinded his teeth and grabbed at the document with a strangely controlled ferocity, crumpling it. Integra furrowed her brows, reconsidering her actions; in her hurry to prove her innocence, she might have made the mistake of infuriating the count even further and most definitely breached an important barrier.
"Of… of course you'd lie… oh, doctor," he hissed, with his eyes now closed, and lightly shaking his head. His desire to somehow enact revenge was throttled by the realization he had always been aware his former masters had no reason to ever be honest with him, besides the fact there was nothing he could really do to make it right or even.
Before this could go on any further, the director slowly grabbed at the edge of the paper, causing the vampire to snap back and immediately let it go. As she put it down, she reached for the print that had been unintentionally shoved in her pants' pocket some minutes ago.
"There's also… this."
He blinked a few times, calming himself down, as he noticed the shift in her voice to a much mellower tone. He tilted his head as she looked at the new paper on her hands. She sighed and handed it to him.
Alucard accepted the print from her and examined it curiously. He stared at the black-and-white image of a tiny curled tube-like object for a while. Integra held back a smirk at his confusion; for a moment, she had forgotten her vampire would not be up to date with some modern technology.
"What is this, master?" He asked, at last, his frustration slowly dissipating.
"An ultrasound scan," she told him. His furrowed brows caused her to clear her throat and try to give a better explanation; the vampire was just calming down, and simply assuming he would understand something he did not know might upset him. "It creates an image of the inside of your body, so, uhm…"
Alucard's eyes widened.
"This… is a picture of-"
"Y-yes," she gulped, holding herself.
The darkness of the room appeared to recede and the temperature rose. The vampire's face illuminated with a progressively bigger smile. His eyes were now transfixed on the tiny spot, and he let out a non-existing breath.
"It's… such a small thing, master," he told her in an uncommonly soft, almost childish tone.
Integra felt her body weakening and moved to sit on an armchair next to where the couple was standing. She turned to face the opposite wall and away from the count. Alucard had been so absorbed by the paper in his hand he only noticed Integra wasn't there anymore when he heard her sigh. His smile faded as he put the print down and cocked his head at her, minding how exhausted she seemed.
"Do you want me to take you to your room, master? Have Walter prepare you anythi-"
"I don't want to get rid of it, Alucard," she told him in a small voice, then lightly shook her head. "I couldn't possibly do such a monstrous thing…"
The room felt colder again. The vampire froze on the spot, his mouth slightly open. Get rid of it? His lips closed to hide the cringing of his teeth. His eyes burned red on her frame, desperately impressing her image on his mind to counter an angry voice yelling obscenities from within his core. He couldn't avoid clenching his fists and damaging the print, the very first photograph of his child.
"But we don't know anything about this," she took a deep breath and felt her throat tie in a knot. "I'm not mother material either." Alucard bore his fangs at that comment then swallowed a grunt to not interrupt her.
"It… will not be a normal child, will it?" Small tears formed on the edges of her eyes and came down when she gulped. "What if it's a monster? What if it…" She paused to search for a more innocent word. "What if it… hurts me?"
The count recomposed himself at his master's confession, relaxing every stiffened part of his body. She had no desire to terminate this pregnancy, she was simply scared of the possibility it might injure her and that she would do a terrible job as a mother. The attic became bearable to be in once more, following his serenity. He took a few steps forward and knelt beside her armchair.
"It greatly upsets me that you have this… preconceived notion that you will fail at motherhood," he said softly. "You also thought you would not make it as Hellsing's leader, remember?"
She simply sniffed as a response. He continued.
"You are of blessed blood, thus will never produce a monster. As for your safety, there is nothing to be afraid of," he comforted her with a gentle tone. "If you go through my old master's… notes, you will find this is not the first time in History something like this has happened."
Integra rubbed her eyes to wipe off the tears; perhaps she had read a passage that implied what he was saying, but she couldn't remember right now. She turned to face her vampire to see the monster turned into her knight once again. His calm demeanor soothed her racing heart.
He ran a finger through her cheek.
"Maybe you can talk to Walter about this," he suggested, and then reassured her. "And I would never allow for you to be harmed."
A small smile curved on her face, and she stared at her vampire for a few moments. He was collected now, concern for her worries overriding his joyful aura from before.
After a few seconds, however, he frowned a little, catching her attention. He brushed her hand against his forehead, rubbing his face against her skin.
"I swear to you, master," his voice came out in a breathy tone as a single red trail coursed down his cheekbones. "I will do a good job. I will not fail you."
Integra was astounded at her monster's reaction. She had hardly ever seen Alucard cry, and those moments only happened due to nightmares or cruel memories. She delicately cleaned the blood off his face, and stared at him with a strange mixture of fascination and pity. He wasn't just shifting moods, she assumed, but simply shaken, overwhelmed with emotions.
She grinned at him.
"You seem very happy about this, servant."
His grip on her hand twitched for a second before a pointy smile crept on his face. His short hair extended to form long, curled locks. A thin mustache grew above his lip and a raspy beard covered his jaw. He looked up to stare at her with perverse glee. Integra's eyes widened at the partial transformation and the heavy accent that peppered his reply.
"One of a king's greatest joys is news that his queen bears his firstborn son."
She shifted back a little, surprised at the abrupt change; her vampire's unpredictability was showing itself once again. Vlad III now stood before her, making absurd assumptions and throwing veiled suggestions at his bride. Stuck between agitation and embarrassment, her mind boiled alternatives on what to do: confront him, berate him, or simply send him away?
"May I keep this, dearest?" He interrupted her train of thought with that low baritone, flashing the crumpled ultrasound print.
Integra blinked a few times before answering.
"Yes." Undecided on how to deal with her vampire's antics right now, she opted to let him go. "I'll go have a word with Walter. You are dismissed."
He gently guided her hand to his lips and kissed it.
"Are you sure you are well? Would you prefer it if I brought him over to you?"
Her face warmed up at his flirting.
"I'm fine; and no, thank you. Off you go."
Alucard smiled at her, half-bowed and vanished through the floor. Integra touched her cheek to feel it burning. Wondering about her vampire's flip-flopping reactions, but mostly embarrassed by her own, she stood up slowly and picked up any documents left. Papers on hand, she left the attic to meet the butler downstairs.
#
"Walter? May I… talk to you?"
The Angel of Death put down the tray he had been preparing for her and turned around to face his charge.
"Of course, princess," he answered with a smile and nonchalantly adjusted his cravat. "Do you need anything?"
Integra fidgeted, trying to find the right words to introduce the subject. Despite the way it turned out, the conversation with Alucard had been easier, straight to the point; he had not been the one to raise her as a daughter, after all. Talking about this with Walter was disconcerting to her; she wondered what it would feel like if she had to break this news to her father instead, and shivered at that notion.
She looked at him in his eyes, those experienced yet… strangely comforting orbs. Her shame began melting away, being replaced by homesickness. Walter was never a punisher; rather, he had always been her shoulder to cry on.
"I'm fine, but…" She paused, but decided to not dance around the subject with him either. She had had enough of this stress. "Walter, I'm… pregnant."
The butler widened his eyes and contorted his face into a genuine smile. Integra blinked as he moved forward and held her in a gentle embrace. She hugged him back and exhaled softly, feeling a grateful sensation of relief take over.
"Oh, this is wonderful, princess! I'm so happy for you, my dear, congratulations."
She lightly pushed him back, her face suddenly reddening at an important piece of information.
"Alucard is the father."
Walter grinned.
"I would be surprised if he weren't." He put a hand on his chin and stared down at the floor, then muttered to himself. "Not sure how he would react to that, though…"
Integra's eyes widened.
"You… knew? About us, I mean?"
A light chuckle emanated from his mouth, and he put his hands behind his back to try to hide his amusement.
"Pardon me, my lady, but it was not very hard to notice."
She slapped her forehead and let her hand slide down to grab at her face. Either the butler was very good at noticing subtleties, which he indeed was, given his position, or she hadn't been as careful as she'd liked. She groaned and placed the sheets of paper she had been carrying on the dinner table. He shifted his eyes for a second to take a quick glance at their contents, but turned back to her almost immediately.
Noticing her silence, he cocked his head to the side.
"Are you alright, my dear?"
Integra shrugged.
"Yes, I'm fine, it's just…" She crossed her arms and bit her lower lip. "What if… something goes wrong?"
The butler smiled at her, relieved to understand her worries. He couldn't deny he had his own concerns, but at this moment his charge needed his support and nothing more. The fact he was privy to certain information helped him stay relaxed. He cupped her face with a gentle hand and encouraged her.
"Nothing will go wrong, my dear. You are safe and well looked after, and we will be with you."
She sighed and nodded at him. She knew she wouldn't be alone, but hearing it brought a new layer of reassurance. Still, she couldn't quite shake away that nagging feeling of inadequacy.
"Thank you, you're right," she smiled weakly and moved a chair to sit on it. Walter repositioned himself to stand beside her.
"Of course," he cleared his throat. "We should make arrangements to best handle this new turn of events."
"What turn of events?" Seras' voice called from the living room.
#
AN: Original year: 2018.