Good evening,

This is a sequel to "Grief".

This fic will have multiple parts (the amount still unknown). I also plan on working on finishing up "Fragile".

I hope that you enjoy the first part.

Oxford Not Brogues

An Appetite for Love

Part One

Their meeting had definitely been an unusual one. One typically doesn't meet a friend or, in this case, the love of their life in some creepy cemetery at the dead of night. But life works in mysterious ways. Their friendship started out strong but only lasted three months before Alucard and Sebastian broke down and asked Seras out on a date. To their shock, she agreed. After that, their relationship with her was slow but really blossomed.

Seras was extremely affectionate. She never failed to greet them with a smile so bright that it warmed their hearts every time without fail. She was always wrapping her arms around their waists in a loose hug, holding their hands, placing gentle kisses on their cheeks and foreheads, and sometimes even playfully grabbed their asses when their backs were turned to her. While Alucard and Sebastian weren't the most affectionate of people, they did their best to show their love by kissing her, holding her, occasionally giving her a hug, hand holding, and giving gentle caresses.

Five months into their fresh relationship, Seras professed her love to them. Knowing that they weren't accustomed to being verbal with their feelings, Seras assured them that she didn't expect them to say it back. However, as time passed, the more she told them that she loved them within almost two years of being together, they could see the disappointment and sadness growing in her eyes. How much longer until she was dissatisfied not receiving a response? Despite them feeling nothing but love for her, Alucard and Sebastian found it difficult to utter those three words to her. Have they not fully accepted their love for her? Did they find it hard to accept that they were capable of feeling such a thing? Or were they afraid that if they became fully attached to her, it would hurt the day they admit what they were to her?

Alucard and Sebastian didn't know how long they could possibly hide that huge secret from her. Considering Seras was their mate, and they wanted her with them forever, they would have to tell her eventually. But how do they tell her? And how will she take it? What if she stopped loving them? What if she started to fear and hate them? All of these fears and thoughts kept the males from sharing anything with Seras. They were aware of how closed off they were and how vulnerable their mate felt. They hated making her feel so alone in this relationship, but they were afraid of getting any closer to her.

Still, Alucard and Sebastian took a chance and gave Seras a taste of who they truly are. And whether she ended up scared of them or not, they hoped that their little surprise for her would help her in some way.

Since Seras had been expecting them anyway, the monsters practically burst into her flat with giant grins on their faces. Their beautiful mate was standing in the living room, all dolled up for their date night. She was wearing a stunning midnight blue, off the shoulder silk dress with the a-line skirt ending at her knees. She had a black clutch bag tucked under her arm as she fastened a necklace around her neck. Since they were so tall compared to her, their clumsy girl had taught herself how to walk in heels. Currently, she was wearing a two inch, dark blue heel. She had straightened her normally spikey hair and then curled it a bit. Two curly tendrils framed her face, making her look all the more breathtaking. She finished the look by having on a touch of mascara and red lipstick.

"Hey!" Seras greeted them with a large, warm smile that further brightened her eyes. "Perfect timing. I just finished getting ready." Successfully clasping her necklace, she held out her arms to present herself. Afterwards, she took a quick look around her flat to make sure she had everything she needed. "Are you guys ready or do you want to come in for a bit?" She asked and then glanced back over at them. This time, she recognized the look in their eyes as an overwhelming amount of glee. This widened her smile and she giggled. "Why are you both so giddy?! You're both grinning like the cat that ate the canary!" Sebastian closed the door behind them before both males approached their mate. As they moved closer, Alucard removed a video camera from his coat pocket.

"We've got a surprise for you." The vampire purred. Seras raised a quizzical brow and smirked naughtily at her men.

"Are we finally taking things to the bedroom?" She chuckled half jokingly, but it wasn't long before a blush decorated her cheeks from her lewd comment. Tossing her clutch on the coffee table, she took the camera from Alucard to inspect it from different angles. Still in a playful mood, she proceeded to give them a suggestive look. "Are we going to film a little sex tape?" Their cute, but shy mate then winked at them. Alucard and Sebastian chuckled while shaking their heads.

"While the idea is more than tempting, I am sorry to tell you no. That is not the purpose for this video camera." The No Life King responded. It was slow, but the smile shrunk on her face before she downcasted her gaze to try and hide the disappointment from them. Clearing her throat in discomfort, she spoke to move this conversation along.

"So, what is it for then?" She asked with a shrug.

"I suggest you watch it before we go out to dinner. It may bother you." Sebastian advised. Taking the video camera from her, he then gestured at the couch. "Please, sit." A small smile graced the human's lips when their moods didn't deteriorate. If anything, they looked far more excited to show her whatever was on it.

"What is it?" Seras laughed. Heading for the couch as instructed, she took a seat on the middle cushion. "Is it an explicit video of you guys?" She asked, knowing that it wasn't. "Is it porn?" Sebastian handed the camera off to the vampire before joining his mate on the couch.

"Such crude thoughts," The demon snickered. To her surprise, since he wasn't very skilled when it came to technology, she watched as Alucard hooked the camera up to the telly with no problems whatsoever. "I know you're anxious for a more intimate relationship, Seras. Don't worry. We'll get there eventually." Sebastian assured her. Alucard pressed a button on the camera before hurrying to sit beside his mate on the couch. The men then watched her ever so closely, wanting to study her and take in her facial expression during this memorable moment. Here was the moment of truth. Would she be scared of them or accept them? Sebastian took one of her hands to hold it tightly in his as he prepared himself for this. This wasn't only going to be emotional for them, but for her as well.

The bright blue screen on her telly switched over to whatever Alucard had filmed specially for her. So far, all that could be seen were two scared and roughed up looking men tied to a chair in some poorly lit, damp basement. The sound of fearful sobbing and raspy hyperventilating emitted from the speakers. Still grinning like madmen, Alucard and Sebastian didn't bother looking at the screen. Their gaze was fixated on the small blonde alone. At first, it was clear Seras was confused by the image on screen. Her brows furrowed together and it took a moment for her to process what she was seeing. Then a look of concern shot across her face and she glanced at Alucard from the corner of her eye.

"What…" She had started but lost her courage for a brief second. "What is this?" Worriedly, she looked back at the screen as she contemplated if it was real or not. Alucard was quick to take her other hand.

"Just keep watching, Seras." He encouraged her softly. The monsters knew when she successfully recognized the men on screen because her eyes flew open so wide.

"Wait!" Seras exclaimed and then her face paled. Sebastian's smirk widened and he snickered.

"That's right, darling. It's them." The demon whispered, hoping his mate was pleased by what she was viewing. After closing her eyes and lightly shaking her head, Seras looked back at the screen to make absolutely sure she was seeing her parents' killers tied to those chairs. From the right side of the screen, Sebastian walks into frame in black pants and a white button up shirt. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He was casually letting a baseball bat swing loosely in one of his hands while one of the men, the one that defiled her mother's corpse, started to beg. Tensing up when seeing the bat, her hands squeezed theirs so tightly she just about cut off circulation.

Their mate wasn't able to draw her gaze away from the screen for even a split second. Not even blinking, she watched with bated breath. And yet, Alucard and Sebastian still couldn't determine how she was truly feeling. Was she scared of them or for the men on screen? Was she full of hate and anger, yearning to watch her vengeance unfold? She was frozen in place, though they could feel her tremble and hear her heart beating so hard that they considered it may beat right out of her chest.

Seras watched as Sebastian on screen walked behind her parents' killers, not wanting to stand in front of the camera and block her perfect view. Even on screen, the demon had a large, malicious smirk on his face while he stared down at the men who were still begging for their lives. From the left side of the screen, Alucard entered the frame. He wasn't wearing his normal attire, instead he was also wearing black pants and a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Unlike Sebastian, he chose to stand in front of the men with his back to the camera.

With his hands in his pockets, he ever so calmly stood there, assessing the situation and looking from one criminal to the other. Both men were pale white, looking as if they had encountered Death itself. They stared up at Alucard with such unbelievably clear looks of fear on their faces. The man on the left, the odious cunt who shot their mate, the sound of his teeth chattering was so audible. He was sweating profusely and looked as if he was on the brink of pissing himself. The man on the right, the one who possessed a glass eye because of Seras, was trying to keep from sobbing like a child while struggling hard, trying to escape his fate.

"What the fuck are you?! What the fuck?!" The one eyed man kept blubbering while he shifted all about.

The monsters' eyes narrowed on their mate when the man asked what they were. They waited for a reaction. They waited for her to jump in surprise and question them what the man meant, but she didn't. Was she far too shocked or absorbed in the video to fully acknowledge what the man was asking?

"Please! Please! Please!" The other man begged. "Let us go!"

"Th-th-the shadows! An-and d-demons!" The one eyed fellow stuttered, recalling the moment the monsters had kidnapped them. "What are you?! What are you?! What do you want from us?!"

Seras watched as Alucard's shoulders moved up and down when he started cackling, causing the men before him to freeze and gape at him. The demon on screen laughed maniacally before he bent at the hip to come more to their level.

"Does the name Victoria ring a bell?" Sebastian asked them. A look of confusion shot across the men's faces. But after a few seconds, the necrophilist's eyes widened.

"The pig and his family?!" The one eyed fellow asked in disbelief. Thoughtlessly, Seras dug her nails deep into Sebastian's hand as pure anger flared in her dark blue eyes. "What the fuck do you know about it?! Nothing! That was forever ago! Ancient fucking history and has nothing to do with either of you freaks!" Grasping the back of the chair, the grinning vampire leaned over to stick his face in the necrophilist's face.

"It has more to do with us than you think." Alucard purred. Releasing the chair, he reached in to flick the man's glass eyes. "Nice memento of that night." The elder vampire snickered as he stood up straighter and folded his arms over his chest. "I'm sure you think of Seras Victoria every time you put it in."

"Who the fu-" The other man trailed off as he looked from Alucard to his friend and back again.

"The little cunt who stabbed me!" The necrophilist explained through gritted teeth. "So, what?! She hired you fucks or what, seduced you to do her fucking work?! Didn't have the fucking balls to do it herself?!" This earned him a swift, hard punch to the stomach by Alucard. Spit flew out of the necrophilist's mouth as his eyes flew open so wide that it looked like they may fly right out of his skull from that hard hit. He then doubled over, gasping and shaking from the excruciating pain.

"Our better half doesn't even know what we currently have in our possession." Sebastian answered.

"Not yet, anyway. But we are filming it all for her." Alucard added.

"Maybe we can make a mix tape of your cries and pleads that she can fall asleep to." The demon chuckled maliciously.

"Enough talk," The No Life King demanded. "No need to prolong the inevitable. Be sure to hold back some of your strength, Michaelis. We don't want to kill them…yet."

Seras jumped when Sebastian swung the bat and shattered the arm of the man who shot her. A scream broke free from the man's mouth. The guttural sound echoed in the basement and carried through Seras' flat. As she watched Alucard and Sebastian throw punches and shatter bones with a bat, beating her parents' killers to a bloody pulp, tears broke free and shed down her face.

"Seras?" Sebastian whispered before using the back of his finger to wipe her tears away. "What are you feeling, darling?" The little human proceeded to stare at the screen and listen to the cries of the people who hurt her most in this world. "You told us what you wanted. We did this for you, my love."

"It's a gift." Alucard added softly. "To express our…" Still teary eyed, Seras shifted her head to glance up at him. Staring deep into her lovely eyes, the No Life King sighed heavily. "We struggle to express ourselves verbally. They say that action speaks louder than words. I hope our actions spoke great volumes to you, Seras."

"I hope that what we had done didn't scare you." Sebastian whispered. Still ever so silent, Seras glanced back at the telly to continue watching her men torture her parents' killers. The demon frowned in sorrow when not receiving a response from his mate. "Seras, please, talk to us. Tell us what you're thinking." But there was still no response. They were unsure if she was purposely ignoring them or if she was so tunnel visioned on the video that she was incapable of focusing on anything but that. So, the monsters chose to wait patiently until the video was over, knowing that it only had a few minutes left.

They could so clearly see everything she was watching on screen reflecting in her marvelous eyes. Was the image branded in her brain forever? Was the sound of bones breaking, of these men crying, screaming, and begging, going to haunt her, especially at night when she's trying to fall asleep? All Alucard and Sebastian wanted to know was if this was helping or hindering her. Nevermind testing to see if she's afraid of them after witnessing what they're capable of. Nevermind wondering if she'll accept them after getting a small taste of their dark sides. Was this helping her in any way? Was this helping her grieving process knowing that her parents' killers were getting what they deserved? Or…was she pitying these low-life creatures? Was she scared and sick to her stomach, wishing for it to stop?

When the video did end, Seras proceeded to sit there and stare at the blue screen, as if she was waiting for more. Alucard and Sebastian watched her, waiting for her to move, speak, or at least blink. Eventually, after a long minute, their mate moved. Slipping her hands out of theirs, Seras got up and moved across the living room towards the telly.

"Seras?" Sebastian called out to her, but he was either ignored or hadn't been heard. Silently, the men watched Seras pick up the video camera, press play so the video restarted, and then fast forwarded to the moment they started roughing up the killers. Once more, the girl watched it until the very end. It left Alucard and Sebastian wondering if she was simply having a hard time processing what she was seeing. Or was it the slight chance that…she was enjoying it? Maybe even getting some form of comfort out of it? It was driving the men crazy not knowing what their mate was thinking! They were tempted to peek into her mind and hear her thoughts, but that would be a violation of her privacy. Since they started dating her, Alucard and Sebastian swore they would never do that to her again; they'll respect her and stay out of her head.

Sebastian decided to intervene when Seras played it again for a third time. Standing up with a soft sigh, the demon crossed the room to come up behind his mate. "I don't know what's going through your head or what you're currently feeling, darling, but we did this to help you."

"It's what you wanted." Alucard reminded her as he stood up to join the two. Taking the camera from her hand and pressing pause, he finally captured her attention. Seras lifted her head to look up at the vampire. There was nothing but pain and confusion in her eyes. While she had stopped crying, her cheeks were still wet from the old tears.

"They're not dead, Seras." Sebastian added after a moment. Suddenly, life returned to those dark blue eyes that grew so wide in her head. Instantly, her head snapped to the side to gape at the demon in disbelief. He couldn't help giving her a small smile, hoping that bit of info pleased her.

"We didn't kill them." Alucard confirmed with a nod and a grin. "We just roughed them up for you."

"We considered that…you may be the one who wants to do the deed and end their lives." The demon practically purred as that smile shifted to a spine chilling grin. "However, if you don't want blood on your hands and their deaths on your conscience, we'll do it for you, my darling." He quickly added while interlacing his fingers with hers. "Seras, we don't want you to be corrupted in any way. We don't want blackness to plague your heart and soul. We don't want this vendetta taking over your life and every thought. If you want, Alucard and I will do it for you. We don't mind the extra blood on our hands. Our hearts and souls are already blacker than black and full of malice and wickedness."

"Michaelis and I are prepared to fight all of your monsters and demons. We'll protect you, no matter what. We want you to always feel safe with us." Alucard added softly. Using a finger, he lifted her chin to get her to meet his gaze. "Do you feel safe with us?" Seras opened her mouth but hesitated answering. She took a quick peek at the screen before looking from Alucard to Sebastian. Then, shamefully, she lowered her gaze.

"I still love you both very much and I do feel safe with you, but…" Their mate trailed off, causing them to frown in worry. Again, she glanced at the screen. "I just…wasn't expecting any of this, and…I certainly didn't expect seeing your…dark sides tonight." Seras then glanced up at her men. "I'm sorry, I'm just still…processing it all."

"But you're not scared of us?" Sebastian questioned for verification.

"No," The small blonde whispered. Despite her response, both men frowned while their brows furrowed together.

"You're not even the slightest bit concerned?" The demon asked. Confused by what he meant, Seras glanced up at the dark haired males.

"What do you mean?" She answered with a question of her own.

"By the fact that we have men tied up in our basement and have beaten them within an inch of their lives." Alucard reminded her.

"Kidnapping and torturing people is typically frowned upon among humans. It's not considered normal." Sebastian added. "It doesn't concern you that we're capable of such things?"

"I know you have a vendetta, but any sane human would step back and seriously question if murder is the answer." Alucard snickered, though there was hardly any amusement in his eyes. "Yes, you're upset, and for obvious reasons. But yet, you don't seem entirely surprised by what we've done."

"You mean with the kidnapping and torturing?" Seras asked.

"Of course," The vampire replied with a nod.

"It doesn't surprise me. Why would it?" The little human stunned them with this answer.

"I beg your pardon?" Sebastian responded. "It doesn't surprise you?" He asked while he looked her up and down. "May I ask why?"

"You guys are being weird. Why are you being weird?" Seras asked as she folded her arms over her chest.

"We're being weird? Says the one who finds this unnatural situation completely normal." Alucard retorted.

"It could be the trauma." The demon considered as his gaze flickered to the vampire's. "She may be having a hard time processing all of this and isn't thinking straight."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not standing right here." Seras grumbled. Sebastian's eyes swept down to look back at his little mate.

"I apologize," He muttered. "We're just having a hard time understanding why you're so calm about us."

"Because I love you, Sebastian!" The annoyed girl exclaimed. "I love you and I love Alucard! I've only told you that for over a year, but for some reason you guys don't seem to understand that!"

"We understand that, but love shouldn't blind you as much as it has!" Sebastian responded. "What you just saw should give you a whole new perspective of us! It should scare you! Or at least concern you! But for some reason, you remain unfazed by any of it! Currently, you should be questioning everything, our whole relationship and your love for us! Why aren't you?! Why are you so accepting of who we are?!"

"Why are you yelling at me?" Seras asked with fresh tears in her eyes. The demon's eyes widened and his back straightened.

"I'm not defending Michaelis, Seras, but you did raise your voice first." Alucard intervened.

"I'm sorry! I'm just so…turned about!" The girl replied as she rubbed over her face before again looking at the telly. "I can't think straight and you guys questioning my love for you is just confusing and upsetting me more! That's the only thing I'm sure of!"

"I'm sorry," Sebastian apologized, hoping to ease his mate. "I didn't…raise my voice out of anger, but…confusion." The demon frowned down at the peculiar girl. "Sometimes your way of thinking is so complex that it's difficult for us to understand it."

"I just don't know why you guys are so confused." Seras admitted while shaking her head.

"Simple, any other person would be terrified learning that her boyfriends were capable of torture and murder." Alucard explained to her. "But, again, you are completely unfazed by that little fact."

"But you guys are…" The human struggled to find the appropriate words while her eyes swept up and down their bodies. "Well, you." She finished, as if that answer should be sufficient enough for them. "It does not surprise me!" Before they could further question her, Seras changed the subject. "Are they still alive?" She asked and pointed at the screen. Disappointed that she redirected the conversation, Alucard and Sebastian glanced at the screen that displayed the killers tied to a chair side by side. They were dying to further discuss why she was so accepting of them being deranged and bloodthirsty, and all before knowing that they were actual monsters. How will she respond when she does find out that Alucard was a vampire and Sebastian was a demon? Will she be alright with it?

No matter how badly they wanted to delve further into this discussion, Alucard and Sebastian knew that her accepting them for what they are had nothing to do with this whole thing. No. The reason they did all of this was to help her in her grieving process. Looking back at her, the males studied their mate for a moment. Instantly, they could tell that Seras was stressed and impatient, needing to know if her parents' killers were indeed still alive. Knowing that they were, what will she do? Will she take matters into her own hands? Or will she simply want to be present and order them to kill the lowlifes?

"They're still breathing." Sebastian responded a few seconds later. "But I can't say if they're both fully conscious and aware of their surroundings. We may have been a little overzealous when roughing them up. There's a possibility that one of them is suffering from a minor head injury. The other, on the other hand, was somewhat conscious and aware when we left them."

"And…they're still tied up in your…basement?" Seras asked, now appearing to be anxious as she mindlessly kept shifting from foot to foot. He noticed her fidgeting hands grasping and releasing the skirt of her dress repeatedly. Slowly, his eyes moved back up to lock gazes with her.

"Yes," He answered. The demon was growing uncertain if they should be telling her this. Seeing how agitated she was becoming worried him greatly. Sebastian wasn't one to fear anything ever, but a horrid feeling in his stomach was gnawing away at him. It was eating its way up slowly towards his heart, filling it with a dull pain that sent signals to his brain that told him that this wasn't a good idea. He recognized this feeling as fear. He was afraid that…in doing this, allowing Seras to face these killers and let her become a killer herself, would corrupt everything that made her beautiful and unique in their eyes.

"Take me there?" Seras whispered with pleading eyes. It wasn't a demand, but a request. Every bit of Sebastian wanted to give her what she wanted, but in this case, he felt conflicted. Fortunately, the No Life King saw the hesitance and concern in his eyes or simply ascertained that the demon was going through the many possibilities of what could happen if they take her there. Alucard drew Seras' attention to him when he lovingly cupped the side of her face.

"Earlier, just minutes ago, I feared what revenge might do to you." The vampire admitted, speaking for himself and the demon to ease them both. "I feared it would change you, take away that lovely naivety, warmth, and kindness. Michaelis and I are so protective of you that we want to shelter you and fight your monsters for you, but however will you obtain your goals that way?" He snickered with a soft smile on his lips. "Nearly two years ago, you told us that you wanted to become stronger and braver, and you wouldn't let anything get in your way. Michaelis and I will step out of your way so you can accomplish your goals."

The smile on his lips twisted into something sinister as delight simmered in his green eyes - another trick they use to deceive their clueless mate. "Whether you kill them or not, I am so proud of you, Seras." Alucard purred while his ice cold thumb brushed over her warm cheek. "You're facing your fears and trauma."

"Your monsters," Sebastian whispered in realization. Everything Alucard was saying was helping relinquish all these fears he had.

"Even if you do make the decision to kill them, I don't think it will change you." The vampire proceeded. "You didn't let them or their actions change you before and you won't let them do it this time either. You're far too resilient and kind to let anyone corrupt or manipulate you." Still cupping her cheek, he placed his other hand on her hip. Smoothly, the tall vampire pulled her close while bending to come more to her level. "Seras," He whispered. His hot breath wafted over her lips and his intoxicating scent filled her nostrils. Naturally, his mate practically melted into him. "Our strong, brave girl." Leaning the rest of the way in, Alucard placed a deep, but short lived kiss on her lips. "Do what you need to do, Seras. Michaelis and I will support you."

"Thank you, Alucard." Seras whispered. She stared longingly at his lips for a moment or two before forcing herself to look away. Her eyes flickered up to meet his gaze. "I just want to see them." Realizing he wasn't the one who needed reassuring, Seras turned her gaze to look up at Sebastian. "If I'm being completely honest, I have no idea what I'll do or how I'll feel when I do see them. All I know is…that…I need to see them." The little human peeked at the paused screen from the corner of her eye. "I don't know if I'll be able to fully believe what I just saw if I don't see it for myself. I can't believe you have them. I can't comprehend that they're currently tied up in your basement. I need to see it for myself." To show his support, the demon took one of his mate's hands into his own. Seras' head snapped back to look at him once more.

"Let's take it one step at a time together." Sebastian whispered with an encouraging smile. "We'll be right there with you."

End of Part One

I hope you enjoyed.

Oxford Not Brogues