AN: Hi! Nice to see you here! Turns out I could not resolve all the drama in a single chapter, so it's gonna be split into two, this one and the next (which I'm absolutely dreading). Following chapter 8, it's gonna be smooth-sailing and pregnancy/baby stuff all the way to the finish line (which, as I mentioned before, was the true purpose of this fic; I have no idea how it took such a drastic turn).
You may have noticed I got this chapter written and released much quicker than I usually do. That's because I devoted a good portion of my free time to this fic alone. I'm not sure how I'm going to handle the rest of the chapters, and I think there might be… three or four left? They might also be shorter than the previous, but I'm not sure yet.
Anyway, hope you enjoy this one!
#
Chapter 8
Walter's voice carried through the mansion's living quarters with a masked lackadaisical harmony, bumping against walls and twisting its waves in search of gaps that would grant it passage.
It was time for Integra's afternoon snack, a moment that had earned its own bullet-point in her list of chores. The director's daily habits rarely allowed for flexibility in accomplishing tasks, and despite the triviality of this particular obligation, she was nothing but rigid when following through an established schedule.
There was always a lot to do, and the delays were not infrequent. The butler took a swift look at his wristwatch and a small knot of urgency pushed against his throat.
"Princess?"
The calling hung in the air, waiting for a reply that did not arrive even after many seconds. Walter stopped his tracks at the bottom of the staircase, wondering if Integra had changed her mind and decided to cut off her (also necessary) hour's rest to squeeze in more minutes of office labor. He sighed, turning towards the hallway on his left rather than going up. It wouldn't hurt checking the nearest rooms before looking into the more obvious places, just in case she somehow didn't hear him. A useless endeavor, perhaps, but Walter would be caught dead before being told he hadn't been thorough.
His features shone with a satisfied smile at finding his charge not as far away as he had expected: the small living room with the fireplace and bookcases she used to sit in with her father, when he himself needed some moments of respite. Her posture was as relaxed as could be, lying against the couch with her head hanging to the side of the backrest, a thin book that was probably supposed to be on her lap fallen face-down near her feet. A rare occurrence, Integra falling asleep in the middle of the afternoon, but obviously justified in this case. Walter's ponytail dragged along his back as he shook his head, half-amused at the tenderness of the scene, half-concerned with the dark bags under her eyes, another evidence of a night poorly slept.
An inappropriate bout of curiosity interwoven with helpless affection pushed him forward and Walter moved swiftly, his decades of military practice softening his steps as if he glided through cotton. Barely a few inches away from the rolled arm Integra's side rested against, the butler held his breath for a few seconds and directed his gloved hand towards her forehead. Nothing more than the back of his fingers grazed along smooth skin, a caress so light and mild the air itself could've hardly tasted it. Feelings erupted with the touch, nonetheless, a twist of warm emotions, despite the barrier of the thick fabric. The edges of his lips pulled up a little bit more, and Walter's eyes landed on the round stomach, covered by a cotton shirt and loose sweatpants that aimed for maximum comfort, stylistic considerations be damned.
His tongue clacked against teeth holding it back, yet his mind rushed, insisting her food would get cold soon. She looked so peaceful now, he couldn't bring himself to wake her. Air was pulled in to fill up his lungs as he stared at the belly holding new life, pushing his thoughts towards the future. His fingers were incessant with the gentle stroke and his charge's deep sleep encouraged them to be bolder, sweeping further along her face to separate some rogue blond strands covering her eyes.
What, exactly, would this child become? What would it mean for the organization?
Integra herself had been struggling with these questions for weeks. Whenever she brought up her anguished uncertainties, Walter had always assured her that, more than anything, the child would be her son, and she would still be Hellsing's heiress and head. Unless a strict order from the monarchy was issued, she would still have the final say when it came to her son's upbringing. The knights were already making plans of their own and would certainly try to wear her down in light of disagreements, but her rigidness had often worked in her favor. If not to rid her of annoying intrusive thoughts, his words could, at the very least, boost up her confidence, even if only for a while.
Her belly, however, continued to grow, and as it began taking up more space on her body, Walter could feel his own resolution losing room in his mind.
His throat bobbed up and down, swallowing an invisible knot as his eyes traveled back to her face. Watching her sleep this deeply, the image of their aggressive, obstinate leader cracked down like a dry husk, leaving the smooth, soft parts of an exhausted, vulnerable woman completely exposed to a household falling apart and an uncertain future with no light at the end of the tunnel to guide her.
The sweet smile then flipped upside down into a prelude of discomfort. As soon as his mind tripped into a shallow pool of compassion and breathed out that Integra might need more than what he was giving, Walter's thin body hair bristled with the slight drop in temperature, and his peripheral vision immediately picked up the formation of a shadow a few feet away from the sofa.
Recomposing himself with a discreet stretch of his back, the butler halted his caresses and waited for the darkness to fully take on a proper shape. He paused a few more seconds, head fixed on his charge but eyes now lingering on the newest arrival to the room, whilst the vampire debated whether or not he should materialize.
The dark spot splatted on the wall appeared more like a humanoid blob and less the silhouette of a man. Several shiny red orbs popped out of the mass and observed with attention, although Walter could not feel the overwhelming, intimidating force that frequently pushed others away whenever they got too close to his master. Sometimes out of concern for her safety, other times, usually when it came to the butler, simply due to a defiant instinct. In fact… had the former hunter not been an assassin specialized in supernatural creatures, if he hadn't been so used to Alucard by now, his presence wouldn't even have been noted.
Tired of waiting for the vampire to take any action that wasn't submission this level of pathetic, Walter finally turned his head to the side and faced the count directly. The crimson shine brightened then, startled at having been caught, and focused on the butler's mature, relaxed features. The gentleman tipped his chin up, pointing towards Integra with a light jerk of his head. A quiet offering, an invitation for the vampire to dispose of this uncharacteristic, absurd apprehension, and just shoo Walter away with some kind of sarcastic remark, a silly excuse to enjoy some time alone with the mother of his son.
The air remained still, as static as it had been before Alucard almost-appeared. The bright circles, muted as if lying at the bottom of a dark, murky sea, acknowledged no change. Walter's disappointment was not so great that he would ignore a silent cry for help and he prepared to leave on his own. The vampire, however, was faster, and bit by bit, the monstrous eyes began fading away, one after the other, pulling at the darkness until the massive black stain was but a speck, and then nothing.
The butler huffed, almost as indignant at the morbid behavior of his partner of battles as Integra herself. Almost as frustrated as her at not being able to figure out what to do about it. Absolutely dreading the headache that would erupt from the chaos reaching its tipping point.
"Ugh…"
Walter's hands were already comfortably crossed behind his back when Integra began to stir. His lips pulled up an easy smile, the languid movements of his charge amusing had they not been partially caused by weeks-old psychological turmoil and exhaustion.
"Walter…?" She wondered sitting up, rubbing her eyes with difficulty as her voice seemed to weigh her down, dragging her entire body along with it.
"Good evening, princess," the former hunter's tone was melodious but not overly joyful, to avoid disturbing the sleepiness that clung to her still. "Your snack is ready and waiting for you."
He offered his hand, palm up, leaving it suspended in the air. Integra glared at the kind gesture with an air of displeasure that could be easily mistaken by the bad mood of someone forced to wake up much earlier than usual. Considerably dispirited to resist, she took up the offer and mentally cursed the fact it was welcomed, her heavier belly making actions as simple as standing up more and more laborious. To her credit, though, the seat of the sofa was very deep and very smooth, and she was still feeling a little drowsy…
"Thank you," she smiled wryly, walking towards the kitchen whilst tying her hair in an uncommitted ponytail that barely helped give her a semblance of normalcy.
The butler followed her with even lazier steps, but stopped for a brief second for another gaze at the wall. He couldn't even bring himself to feel disappointed at neither seeing nor feeling anything there.
#
It hadn't been long since the sun began setting and the training field emptying out. Pip followed the well-known trail, waving to those closest to him and sparing but a curt nod to anybody else. He dodged the men and women wrapping up their tasks with natural agility, circling around weapons and equipment with his hands in his pockets and his worries hidden behind relaxed shoulders and an unfocused gaze. The shadows melted into the growing darkness as he advanced; there was still some time left until the cloak of night took over, but the Frenchman knew the earlier hours hadn't been a true impediment for Seras to leave the manor and stay outside, standing under every available shade until the rays of sunshine stopped being a bother. More and more the draculina preferred spending her time outdoors, away from the freezing walls of the confinement she called bedroom, and far away from literally any other room, as if the building was more a cage and less a home.
Having created a reasonable distance from the few remaining soldiers scattered around, Pip let go a disappointed breath. The officer didn't seem like the only one to have grown contempt for the roof under which she slept. Alucard no longer traversed walls whenever he felt like or took over any random room for no apparent reason, and Integra came up with more and more excuses to go out, always in a hurry, always stressed out.
Always on her own.
Pip came to a halt in a more secluded area, a few steps away from where Seras sat on a bench, inspecting the barrel of a pistol. A practice target stood tall and firm and intact not very far from her, which signaled to him she hadn't begun venting out her frustrations. Her hazy, unfocused eyes and mechanical movements were open windows to her dissociation, accomplishing the task through muscle memory alone. A light breeze pushed him forward and Pip took in a long breath before approaching. At this time, birds had quieted down, the murmurs and whispers of his companions had faded away, and all he could absorb were the click-clacks of Seras' operation and his own footsteps squeezing the earth as he moved.
They both knew Seras was already aware of his presence, but had no intentions of acknowledging it until he was a few inches before her, forcing her to look up at him. Her smile was small, but at least it was gentle and honest, which somehow hurt more than a scowl, and Pip's mind reeled back to the conversation he had had with Integra a while ago, almost as if the two women were mirroring each other.
"Getting ready to practice, mon cher?" He answered with a smile of his own, also genuine and equally bereaved.
"I was, captain, but," Seras shrugged, still collected. "I had to give this pistol another look and now I'm not sure I'm still up for it."
Her honesty caused Pip to chuckle in good faith. It was a relief seeing her more open instead of hiding everything, even if these things sucked and because she did it out of prostration, because she was too weary to pretend, rather than true willingness.
"Yeah, I get it. Can I join you?"
At the slight nod of her head, Pip turned around and sat down with a huff, allowing his frame to relax. With his arms loose at his sides and his back like a curved stick, the Frenchman reminded her a lot of a sack of potatoes. Seras held back a giggle and did nothing when he scooched over so their bodies touched at the sides, even with all the available space to keep a reasonable distance between them. As soon as Pip settled, the draculina deposited the pistol at her side, and he took the opportunity to hold her hand, as naturally and expected as the growth of their relationship. Seras shut her eyes for a few seconds whilst her fingers squeezed the captain's palm, reveling in his closeness and warmth.
The couple spent some time in silence, basking in each other's company and the tranquility of an unremarkable day. It was, unfortunately, nearly impossible to ignore the overwhelming presence of the mansion meters ahead, its firm walls and sturdy roof the image of a protective home before, but now a cruel reminder they'd eventually have to go back inside, to drown in the turmoil and confinement of an asylum. Far away they took sight of what seemed to be Walter closing a window on the second floor. Not the one belonging to Integra's room, but close enough that it encouraged Pip to bring up the subject.
"You know, mon cher," he began slowly, his voice a single drop in a serene lake, barely rippling out. "The boss seems stressed these days."
The vampire's discomfort reflected at her grasp tensing up for a few seconds, but Pip was relieved that it was all it did.
"I noticed the two of you don't spend a lot of time together anymore," His tone was innocuous, almost subdued, but still Seras lowered her gaze towards the earth. "I think she misses you."
A small smile threatened to brighten up his features when the draculina's head rose in an instant, her eyes more confused than stunned.
"... She… misses me?"
"It's what feels like to me," His shoulders raised uncommitted, his pout almost perfectly feigning aloofness. "You told me yourself she's invited you to go out a few times."
He bit his lower lip when Seras' face contorted into a frown, redirecting her glare to pierce through the building in front of them. She couldn't properly flush, but that wasn't necessary to betray her feelings. Pip's palm was rewarded a little more freedom when her grip loosened up, but he had no intentions of forcing her to stay, so his thumb moved in small circles to caress the back of her hand.
"I think…" She swallowed after a pause, scrambling for any excuse. "She should… focus on the baby, now."
For a moment, they could hear nothing but the far, muffled cries of nature and men. Pip's free knuckle balled up for a split second to concentrate his frustration nowhere near her. For a while, he thought Seras' withdrawal was mostly due to her master's unexpected antics, but it became clear now that the kid played a role considerably more important than just a strange source of annoyance.
All this pregnancy-induced mess was, somehow, tying his stomach up in way too many knots, and the child wasn't even his. How was it possible that a boy that hadn't even been born yet could cause so much… damage?
A bird flew ahead in a hurry, directing his eyes to where Seras' were fixed. Integra was somewhere inside that place, probably alone, because her butler busied himself with chores and all sorts of bureaucratic tasks, and her… whatever Alucard was supposed to be had transformed into an unresponsive, unsympathetic hermit. Despite his background, Pip understood that maternity would be an important change in Integra's life. It was almost outlandish to him, however, how much her future motherhood was affecting the people closest to her.
His brows furrowed and he tightened his grip, uncertain of how else to handle this.
"Mon cher, listen…"
The slight jerk of his body that followed his voice resonated through his extremities and snapped Seras out of her depressed contemplation. When her attention returned to the source of affection beside her, Pip locked into her eyes with such a confident firmness that she had to hold back a small sob.
"I think you miss her as well," He nodded in agreement and the draculina averted his gaze for a few seconds, unable to deny it. "The boss might be tough, but she likes you, and she treats you well."
"Yes…" The answer was faint, a whispered effort, but it was sincere, and she brought her closed fist to rest on her chest. Any more words were needless; the captain had been in the organization long enough to see the two had an affectionate bond, and Seras had always been caring and devoted to those she loved.
The arrival of the evening came with a slight drop in temperature. Pip squeezed his hold a little tighter, loosening it up immediately afterwards.
"The boss never went through something like this before, and now she's alone," he continued, gripping a little harder again when he felt a slight tremble.
A sorrowful knot got stuck in her throat, and when she tried pushing it down, the pressure overflowed, watering her eyes.
"Forget about the kid for a moment, and don't think of her as a mother," Pip flashed her a smile, and Seras really wanted to cry then. "Think of her as a friend who needs our support. Your support. You're the closest thing she has to a sister."
Pip's hand was fast to touch her face when she sniffled hard, but he was only partially successful in stopping some tears from running down her cheeks. When Seras finally stopped sobbing, he brought both her hands to his lips for a quick kiss and winked at her, a bright, beautiful glow amidst the darkness enveloping them.
"So… How about spending some time with her?"
#
There were only a few moments left for the evening to become nighttime when Seras and Pip made their way back to the manor. At peace, and emboldened by the Frenchman's words, the draculina allowed her heart to speak so she could open up to her boss. Her friend. The answer might be of a simple nature, but the officer had trouble navigating through her feelings. It might be that she was denying them, pushing them away, covering them up with rage and derision because thinking hard about them was embarrassing and maybe someone like her, of her age, of her nature, of her status, should be above something like that. Whatever that was.
Pip dragged her all the way to the hall, not unlike a human tow truck, shaking his head with a smirk when her awkwardness became apparent. What use were people's criticism when the thoughts wouldn't let her go, anyway? Judgment wouldn't rid her of those annoying ideas; from the captain's perspective, plucking them out like weeds was a better alternative, even if more troublesome.
Seras took a few tentative steps forward and stared back at him, then glanced briefly at the staircase, contemplating what to say, how to say it and what to do, whatever happened after she crossed the door to Integra's room. If she were honest, it didn't really need to be anything important right now, no pressing matter relating to her deeper feelings, maybe just some chit-chat to pass the time together for starters, to begin rekindling their closeness, but still… It felt like so much time had passed. She fidgeted a little on her spot, rubbing her hands up and down her arms to buy herself some time, as if what lied beyond was an angry, fire-breathing hydra.
It's just Integra, she thought to herself, then mentally kicked her own shins for even briefly entertaining the joke that sometimes that hyperbole was not so inaccurate.
"I'll be around waiting for you, okay?" Pip winked. "Prolly in the kitchen, though! It's where the food is. Take however long you need."
The officer nodded while giggling, and made a mental note to thank him a hundred, a thousand times, for everything he had been doing for her. She didn't want Pip to literally wait for her, but trusted he'd find something useful to do with his time, in case Integra were in the mood for a long conversation.
There was barely any movement from either of them before Pip's body hair flared up, and a bolt of electricity broke into a sprint along Seras' spine, her foot readying a step now frozen in place.
Usually spread through every nook and cranny of whichever space he occupied, Alucard's dark presence was confined to a single, recluse spot, and the Frenchman's eyes drilled into his coordinates swiftly, standing still next to a door a few feet away from the couple. What he was doing and why he was there were amongst some questions that raced through Pip's mind at the moment, but were also ones that he could not figure out through the vampire's expression alone; the count's light frown and empty, dull eyes left room for no interpretation whatsoever.
Perhaps he was adrift, spacing out, ignoring them completely. It wouldn't have been so eerie if only his head wasn't facing them directly…
"A-ah…"
The draculina stuttered, unable to look at him until she could get her foot unstuck, taking a step back closer to Pip and finally turning around. He raised his hand to land it with care on her shoulder, stopping her movement when her body retreated and she almost stepped on his foot. Seras perked up at the feeling, the captain's light weight a warm comfort amidst the lazy coldness that barely tried to escalate and envelop them all.
The house was quiet, every noise deafened by some kind of invisible force. The darkness of the night broke into pieces thanks to the artificial lights, but they emanated no heat. Silence stretched on as Pip observed the gloomy statue ahead. His brows furrowed and heart rate quickened, the captain grinded his teeth at this aloof, muted persona; it wasn't enough the bad atmosphere Alucard brought with him to missions, the Frenchman had no desire to deal with the storm at home as well.
"... Master…"
Seras' soft voice in recognition of her maker's presence made Pip's palms start to sweat as the nosferatu finally seemed to understand where he was; the slight side jerk of his chin was unexpected, when the usual reaction would be to point it slightly upwards, per the count's usual brand of arrogance. The draculina clenched her fists, but surprised her companion by keeping her gaze fixed on her master. Pip's apprehension made a little bit of space for a surge of pride, but the new emotion all but evaporated when Seras' brows furrowed and she tilted her head to the side, very similar to a questioning puppy.
That… wasn't right. Something felt off, and the way her eyes suddenly widened at literally nothing kicked his focus into hyper-awareness. Alucard didn't seem to move beyond a lazy blink and the scowl still present made his lips twitch a millimeter, but apart from that, his stance remained sturdy. Pip saw nothing there, the count had nothing to show, so what was Seras-
"Yes, I'm… I'm going to see her."
The affirmation, or rather, the answer, seemed to have sprouted from nowhere. It felt too… objective to be just some spontaneous justification. The count's grimace almost turned into a snarl, but the discreet shift of his body backwards was all surprise and almost no real offense.
It was then that Pip heard it. The buzz, the low whispers, almost inaudible, made up of incongruent voices, crossing the physical barrier that was Alucard's supernatural body, dragging along the edges of the walls where they met the cold floor. There was no discernable message, however, none that the Frenchman could make out, nothing but insignificant, cluttered muttering…
"Do not read my thoughts, police girl," he tried a smile and a sarcastic giggle, recovering his stoic and unshakable posture, and the voice that left his throat seemed to be accompanied by many others at its back, climbing from somewhere deep within. "It's impolite."
The officer's cheeks inflated, and she couldn't stop herself from shaking her head in blatant rebuttal. Seras did not have that ability properly developed. She could not pierce through her master's mind. She knew that, and Pip knew that, and Alucard himself knew that. Eventually, the Count's smile faltered and twisted, unable to maintain his composure, and he hid that little display of frailty by turning his face to the side and sighing with disguised exhaustion, a childish attempt at mockery that almost made Pip identify the real Alucard, were it not for the gesture so strangely forced.
"I didn't- I wasn't doing that! I just… I just heard it!" The officer insisted, raising her slightly trembling fists, but the monster simply snorted.
Seras' lips pursed, the sense of foreboding slowly untangling itself from her heart and a rope of frustration instead beginning to wrap itself around it. Before she got strangled, Pip squared his shoulders and growled.
"I heard things, too."
The decisive and confident intonation took Alucard by surprise, and the Count turned his eyes towards him, still immobile. The muscles on his neck tensed up but Pip remained inflexible; it was obvious he hadn't heard the same thing as the draculina, but he wasn't lying. The buzzing was there, standing by, like a distant hum, lurking in the corners of the room, spilling out of Alucard's mouth like a colony of small insects.
LiARs
Pip's eyebrows jumped and Seras couldn't hold back a gasp. Cognizant speech had emerged amidst the chaotic murmuring. The grunts and groans echoed for a few seconds but were completely ignored by Alucard, who finally began to advance towards the two. The Frenchman's mind paid no attention to the vampire's languid movement, too preoccupied with the demonic voices having actually said something.
"I'm sure you did, captain," he stopped, at last, a few steps away from the two of them, and the derisive response was a diametrical opposite to the brittleness of his relaxed posture. "And why exactly are you going up there, police girl?"
aRe YoU GOinG tO pOISoN hER aGaINst ME? aRE yOU taKInG tHe ChILd foR yOUrSELf?!
The macabre voices pushed her and the heel of her shoe hit the Frenchman's foot squarely when she took a step back.
"What?! No!"
"Are you insane?!" Pip added to the draculina's indignant chorus, ignoring the pain in his thumb and moving to stand immediately beside her.
Alucard couldn't quite work out who said what because of the simultaneous assault on his senses, but the indignation and anguish in the mixed response made him twist his lips, fangs exposed, and he stumbled a few centimeters away from the pair. His consternation was bewildering on its own, pushing Seras to grasp the fabric of her uniform near her chest and Pip to realize why the count was so confused.
There was no need for Seras to force that mental connection because his thoughts were surfacing on their own, exposing themselves to the light with no pause and no filter, completely uncontrolled and departed from the will of their owner.
The cold contained around Alucard slowly expanded to encompass the entire room, and Pip's racing heart was an open door to sweating, causing involuntary spasms in his body when the clamminess of his skin came into contact with the low temperature. Seras cringed, a baffled grimace painting her docile face, clearly disoriented on how to proceed. An insignificant shake of the vampire's hip told Pip that he was considering an escape, but instead of wondering whether they were facing the real Alucard or some ridiculous clone, he stepped forward and broke the uncomfortable silence, raising his voice and letting his frustration drown out the grim whispers.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Alucard?!"
"I'm the same as always, captain," the vampire smiled, yet he was unable to hide the subtle tremor at the edge of his lips. "You're the ones who are confused."
nOT cOnFUsED! fALsE! tHEy wANt mE diSPoSEd!
A light spasm contracted Pip's fingers, readying themselves to reach deep into the holster where his pistol rested, unaware of the rising cacophony and how harder it became for his eyes to see. Seras shook her head with indignant denial, at last watering the seed of distrust her master had sowed into her heart that unfortunate evening on the training field. Perhaps, another, a smaller one, had been planted even before that.
"No, master, you're the one who's different! Why?!"
"Perhaps you're overstepping your bounds, police girl," Alucard's voice rattled in the air despite the ironic tone, now forced to act as a shield. The room was down another degree in temperature, but if it weren't for the thickening of darkness threatening to embrace them, Pip could've sworn the count appeared to sweat. "Perhaps someone should put you in your place."
Lamps stationed above and around flickered at the capricious red spark in the vampire's eyes. Ignoring some necessary rational thinking, Pip's legs advanced a step forward, his right hand inches away from the trigger of his pistol, and Seras instead moved back a little, furrowed brows piercing the ground and fists shaking.
"No…" She muttered to no one but her conflicted mind, the white of her fangs shining through the gloom in a timid snarl overflowing with contempt. "No, I don't…"
tHeY aRE bETtEr tHan ME! i aM RUiNED!
Glass and pottery shook as the uproar resonated through windows, walls, corners, doorways to desperation, howls of hundreds banging against solid matter to skirt confinement. Pip's lungs widened trying to take in some modicum of respite from the heavily contaminated air, but could only inhale ire. Ignoring the involuntary tremors in the eyelids and contorted lips of Alucard's frown, the captain positioned himself in front of the draculina and yelled, heart still pumping out enough adrenaline to electrify his body and blur some cognition.
"And what of your place?!" His fingers tightened around the pistol's grip. "Pushing Seras away! Her own father!"
Dark tentacles erupted from God knows where and finally engulfed every area of the room in unnatural nightfall, with the exception of timid lamps that fought bravely against the offensive, their light confined to a small radius around them. Alucard's eyes shone bright, smoldering sparks illuminating the entrance to Tartarus, and Pip couldn't avert his gaze to consider what happened in his vicinity. An instinctive drive, or perhaps a known feeling, sensed the vampires moving, one behind and the other beyond, and the Frenchman drew his gun, deftly and firmly pointing it forward despite his precarious situation.
The floor of the hall seemed to crack under the weight of Alucard's boots as he approached, accelerated, unreconciled, enraged to an extent Pip had never witnessed, not like this, not with this particular type of intensity. In the midst of his apprehension, a burning sensation radiated from his arm, from the very place where Seras was controlling herself not to dig her nails in any further. He needn't turn to catch sight of the bloody light spilling from the draculina's wild orbs, moving in closer.
"I am not her father!" Alucard roared in response, his burly footsteps faster than Pip expected, his black locks swirling around him. "I am no one's father!"
As focused as he was in the looming threat ahead of him, Pip's ears could still capture the terrifying growl of the draculina, who was about to rest her chin on his shoulder. A few drops of saliva splattered on his vest, right where Seras' exposed fangs floated. The policewoman's grip on his arm tightened, probably preparing to throw him to the side or push him down, either way eliminating him from her path.
Alucard stopped exactly one arm's length away, his chest touching the mouth of the barrel. Pip's left hand rushed upwards to help sustain his pistol still standing by, his index finger hovering over the trigger waiting still in disbelief for the right moment. Seras' hair jumped out like a rabid dog's hackles rising and the Count screamed, solitary red trails running down his cheeks as the voices joined in the aggrieved protest, echoing around the room and bumping into every object.
"mOnsTERs caNnOT bE FaTHeRS-!"
"Alucard, STOP!"
A pause, and then…
Silence.
The voices quieted and fled, an army of frightened mice scurrying back to their burrows and holes at the sight of a hungry cat. The temperature rose, brought about by the first sunrise following the last day of winter. The darkness retreated to its unseen confinement, light piercing through it like a sharp sword through a dragon's hide.
The vampire's arms and legs glistened with the fleeting glow of Walter's lethal threads, wrapping around the Count's limbs in a biting grip. The length of the taut ropes betrayed the ex-assassin himself a few paces away, his frown focused on the beast contained in front of him.
The crimson, terrifying glow of the draculina's and her master's irate eyes began to fade as they looked up towards the corridor upstairs, in the same direction as Pip's head had now turned to. Integra's fingers were pale from the force she was exerting to hold onto the railing.
"Go to your cell!" She commanded, her thundering tone singing no hesitation. "NOW!"
Walter's threads unraveled in free, undulating movements through the air as the vampire simply let himself be swallowed up by the small pool of shadows under his form, as if he were defragmenting himself from material reality. When the black puddle was completely gone, the butler raised his hand to collect his strands and Pip finally lowered his arms, feeling Seras' grip loosen with relief and the draculina taking a step back.
The policewoman's needless and momentary inspiration was deep and interspersed. Integra's eyes began to water and her lips trembled, and she quickly focused on Walter's now relaxed features, which corresponded with a discreet smile and a nod. Her blond mane flew back with a sudden movement, disappearing in the direction of her room, the sound of the door being slammed muffled by the tachycardia still pounding in the Frenchman's chest.
Seras opened her mouth just as Pip took a deep breath to say something, but the butler held up a hand to silence them as he walked slowly towards the stunned pair.
"Easy now, my friends," Walter spoke, almost undisturbed if not for the hand now squeezing the wrinkles in his forehead, the telltale sign of a flourishing headache. "I believe everything will be settled."
#
The knock on the door was gentle and almost inaudible, and Walter had to wait a few seconds for an answer.
"Come in…" The embittered voice resonated from the other side, clearly unwilling to indulge.
The butler sighed deeply before turning the knob and entering Integra's room slowly, carrying a small silver tray balanced in one hand. His light, elegant steps brought him to the Hellsing heiress, sitting in a velvet chair she used to read in from time to time, her body reclining so heavily it could've weighed tons. Her right hand, which supported her head and squeezed her temple, hid her face as well as any mask. Even so, and with the bright blonde curtain cascading down to toughen that barrier, Walter knew exactly how she was feeling.
The former hunter placed the tray with the small pot of cookies, the cup and the teapot on a coffee table immediately next to his princess and recomposed himself, waiting for a reaction. Any reaction.
The short time passed undisturbed. The mansion was calm and contained, except for the typical sounds of the night coming through the windows from outside. Walter was only sure that Integra was alive by the slight rising and falling of her stomach. It didn't take long for the director to take a deep breath, adjusting herself a little better in the chair to straighten up, and the butler immediately reached for the teapot to fill the cup with chamomile tea. Integra rubbed her nose with the back of her hand and sniffed hard, and Walter could get a glimpse of her swollen, red eyes before her fingers squeezed them shut, perhaps to sharpen her vision, or just to afford her a few seconds to look more presentable.
"Thank you, Walter," the hoarse voice was followed by a wheeze. Walter lamented at the display; states of… utter defeat were extremely rare, coming from her. Her lethargic motions when reaching for the tea cup were somewhat surprising; Integra's physical reaction to disappointing or stressful scenarios usually involved a cadence of swift, violent maneuvers.
"Of course, miss," the teapot returned to the tray with a soft click and he was almost as unhurried as her to bring his hands up to cross them behind his back. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
Integra brought the cup to her lips but kept a small distance from the intricately-patterned ceramic, letting the warmth of the tea rise and radiate across her face. Her gaze, however, was far from the drink, focusing on some point in the doorway where Walter had entered, ambivalent and lost, or perhaps waiting for someone else to show up.
The butler watched her with some curiosity and affection, with no pressure to go anywhere. As cold and professional as he was, it wasn't easy for him to avoid getting attached and simply... feeling emotions for the girl he had raised since she was a baby. Quite a troublesome conundrum in his field.
"I don't understand…" She finally whispered, taking a slow, innocent sip of her tea. "He's clearly hiding things from me."
Walter nodded, even though he was aware her focus pointed in another direction. Integra herself had already commented something similar in their previous conversations, when the behavior of her vampires had not yet reached the point of worrying about the safety of the mansion's residents. Maybe it had been foolish of her to fail at seeing it; or rather, foolish of them both, but the butler opted to not consider the implications of that realization, not right now. He would much rather attribute their mistakes to an abundance of confidence, or hopeful deniability, or whatever it was that had kept them from interfering sooner.
Alucard was a monster. And so was Seras, to a different extent. It shouldn't have been that difficult, and yet, here they were.
"Perhaps he is ashamed, or afraid…" He suggested, his voice almost as low as hers, because the idea of Alucard simply having completely lost confidence in his master was much more unlikely than the feeling of shame, regardless of his condition as a being.
Walter had been wrong about many things in the past, but of this he was certain. He would put his life on the line for his theory. He'd think twice or thrice about it, but he would do it anyway.
"... I don't want to force him, Walter. He's not just a servant to me, he's…" She let the sentence hang in the air, inhaling slowly. "He's allowed his privacy, but this whole situation-"
"Has gone too far, miss, yes." The butler interrupted her firmly despite his gentle tone, saving her from having to admit it herself.
The director swallowed dryly, remembering the cold, the darkness, and the screams. The screams, more than anything. She had heard them before, she knew what they meant, the butler knew what they meant, and where they came from, and what they could do to a tormented mind. The fact that they had expressed themselves so naturally, spontaneously, but most of all, so full of grief, was very unusual, to say the least.
"The voices, Walter…I think…"
The butler nodded at her loss for words, already knowing what needed to be done. He had witnessed it before, during Arthur's directorship.
"Alucard's condition might need to be re-addressed." He stated, plain and simply.
Integra frowned, making a dismayed pout before taking a larger sip of her tea. Her lips parted so that her throat expelled a gulp of air and she turned to set the cup down on the tray. The clash between the two objects meeting snapped louder than when the butler put everything on the table, but he wouldn't criticize that discreet frustrated outburst.
There would be no real inconvenience beyond a few days of discomfort and perhaps some level of humiliation for the count. The procedures were reliable, and the annoying sentiment that this might have been a byproduct of emotions, a sentiment Integra kept in the back of her mind, led her to ascertain that the Nosferatu's integrity and loyalty were not under any threat. Likewise, Alucard would not prove to be a danger to the organization, and recent events would turn out to be inconsequential. It was, however, a little annoying that they had to resort to that after so many years. With the exception of that small jab at her pride, she wasn't deeply bothered. Alucard wouldn't refuse to comply, and she was quite sure that there was nothing to worry about in her analysis. Thinking about his emotional fortitude, and how to deal with that problem, however... was considerably more dreadful.
"And it shall be." Her hands ran up to the golden strands and curled them twice, three times, only for her silky hair to undo the knot when she rested her arms on the chair and leaned back again. "I… really want this to stop."
Walter's lips twitched into a small smile. Issues of the heart and the mind could be so much harder to face than many missions. He wouldn't consider himself an expert in such matters, but he trusted that his extra years of life had given him a little more wisdom to provide his princess with some useful advice, however small it might be.
"Miss… Alucard has always respected you and looked up to you, but in his devotion he's also become terrified of doing anything that would compromise the relationship you two have developed."
"... Mhm…" She nodded slightly, bringing her eyes back to the butler's face. It always brought her a little relief to know that she wasn't the only one in the organization who saw the vampire as a more complex being than her ancestors had tried leading her to believe.
"Perhaps… you should be more assertive with him, this time." Walter raised his voice a little more, just to emphasize the suggestion, and, with any luck, lift her spirits a little bit as well. "You've always been very unyielding, and very down to business, but no one has ever thought you to be inconsiderate."
Integra smiled for a few seconds, and the butler almost resented how quickly that smile faded from her face.
"... I'm glad."
"If I may add," he closed his eyes for a few seconds to clear his throat. "Perhaps, doing this will be good. For you both."
The two stared at each other for a few seconds, a silent exchange while Integra considered her options, looking to the butler for some indication that maybe there was an alternative, something… simpler to do, something that didn't involve confronting pains and personal issues directly, something you could just shoot at or blow up into millions of microscopic pieces, never to be seen again.
It didn't look like anything else was going to come out of her source of support, because of course it wouldn't, and with this sad realization, the director sighed deeply and probably much louder than necessary.
"... that's what I was afraid of." She grasped at the cup with a swift movement, took a final, long sip of her tea, now almost cold, and grimaced a little. "Things can't ever be easy, can they?"
He shook his head, and his small smile returned, despite everything.
"No, but they can be manageable."
#
AN: Hi, again! Thank you for reading this chapter!
I accidentally made Pip a "voice-of-reason" sort of hero-ish character, which I… also did not intend? I haven't watched Hellsing in so many years I can't even be sure if his behavior was OOC, and I apologize in advance if it came out that way! I also think Alucard is a bit of a woobie in this story, but he's had his woobie moments in-canon, so I don't believe his interpretation here is too off-brand. He is going through something, and there's a bazillion dead people living inside him that want to give their opinions.
Like I said, I sort of hyper-focused to get this chapter done and released this "fast" (considering my usual intervals), and I haven't yet decided how to handle its successors. Stuff's gonna be a little bit harder and more painful because I don't have any more material drafted (no planning, no bullet-points, that kinda stuff), but I do want to finish this story sooner rather than later, so there's… motivation. At the very least, I know what I want (not sure if that serves as any consolation; it's kinda useless when it feels like this story has a mind of its own, ugh).
Anyway, thank you for sticking around, for the likes and the feedback, and for not losing faith in me! I'll see you on the flip side! :)