A/N: I want to thank you all for all the favs and follows!

I hope my story continues to please you!

And the new cover page is done by the wonderful onisnow! It features the tomodachis, Olivia and Walter, in their 20s! As you can see, Olivia's outfit is different but you will see why soon! :D

Please enjoy this chapter! I welcome all new and old readers!

Olivia's confidence streak didn't last as long as she hoped, and when she returned to her room that night, that familiar sensation of needles piercing her heart emerged once more.

Yet, she still closed her eyes and went to sleep.

Olivia had neglected her duties for far too long, and she had to make up for the mess she had caused.

So, the following morning, she took a bath, got dressed in her white dress, and reported for duty like any good soldier.

But that still didn't stop the bloodcurdling screams from echoing in her head whenever she released an arrow nor did it stop child victims from turning into little Vlad, causing Olivia to tremble as she attempted to discern reality from a dream.

But Olivia pushed herself forward and in a matter of three days, she had made up for lost time and Sir Hellsing lessened her work load to prove all was forgiven.

Yet she begged for more missions with the logic that she had to redeem herself to him and her family for how cowardly she'd behaved, which was true but that was not Olivia's main driving force.

Olivia knew she couldn't avoid Alucard forever and, eventually, he would accompany her on a mission and she refused to allow whatever she felt to jeopardize the mission and bring shame upon the organization.

But…she couldn't bring herself to go to him.

Olivia still hated Alucard for the terror he'd caused and feared him for how monstrous he was. But…she also had felt his agony buried beneath his rage and knew Alucard had once been an innocent child who had been damned by fate.

That wasn't enough to pardon him of his crimes, but it was enough to force Olivia to acknowledge that she still cared about him.

That was why she made that request to Sir Hellsing.

Maybe she really was a naïve rabbit to make such a request, but this was always something she wanted to ask Sir Hellsing.

A week had passed since her isolation ended and Olivia sat at the base of an old oak tree in the gardens, polishing her bow and taking in the rare sunny day.

There wasn't a single cloud in the bright blue sky and a light breeze danced across the grass and tickled her bare feet.

Such beautiful weather was a rarity since the war started, and it was like God had decided to give the world a break from the endless violence by showcasing a light at the end of the tunnel.

'Perhaps it's a good omen.' She sighed, placing her bow aside to grasp onto her bracelets with an anxious expression. 'Please…let it be a good omen.'

The wind kissed her cheeks as the sun's rays shone down on her, yet she felt nothing but cold.

Arthur watched Olivia from his office window, noting that even from far away he could still see the bangs under her eyes and the ugly purple bruise on her cheek.

He wasn't a fool; he knew she wouldn't bounce back to her bubbly self immediately, so he, Martha, and almost everyone else had been walking on eggshells around her.

The only exception was Walter who still treated Olivia the same as always….save for giving her a peculiar look every now and again while grasping her right hand, the silver bracelets shining in the light.

Never in his life had Arthur witnessed Walter actually care for someone without an ulterior motive or obligation; it was all very interesting.

'Both of them are influencing each other quite a bit.'

Unfortunately, Arthur didn't have time to dwell on these revelations, not with what Olivia had requested of him plaguing his mind.

"With my favor, I also have to confess something."

"And that would be?"

Olivia tried to calm her heartbeat as she readied herself to finally spill her secret, and after a few deep breaths, she straightened her shoulders and continued.

"For the past few years, I have gone against your orders by sneaking down to the dungeons to visit Alucard."

A part of Arthur wanted to be furious, but something had always told him this had been going on. And no doubt Walter was in on it since Arthur knew this would've been brought to his attention the moment it began. But he didn't have the energy to scold her and decided to save it for later.

"So does this confession have to do with your favor?"

"Yes, I….it also has to do with my isolation." Olivia gulped audibly before continuing, bunching part of her nightgown in her fists. "The night before I….I learned about Alucard's past."

Arthur nearly snapped his pen in half.

This he had not been expecting, and a shiver crawled down his spine at the recollection of how frightening his servant was in his past life.

"How much did you see?" He stood up from his seat, practically lying on the table at this point.

"Up until his execution…I didn't care to see more."

"I see." Arthur rubbed his temples, finally piecing everything together. "That would explain your behavior then."

"Are you aware of Alucard's past, Sir Hellsing?"

"Of course, I am his master after all." He rubbed the back of his neck, not wanting to discuss his servant's unsavory past anymore. "But, what does all of this have to do with your request, Olivia? Get to the point already."

Olivia's left hand brushed over her bracelets, as if she was drawing courage from them, before squeezing her eyes shut and blurting it out.

"Do you really know anything about Alucard, Sir Hellsing?"

Her question nearly made him tumble over his desk.

"W-What? I thought we just went over this! I know everything about him!"

"I mean, do you know anything about him as a man? Not a prince or warrior or count or servant, just…Vlad the human?"

Arthur didn't know how to respond to that and fell back into his chair, suddenly craving a cigarette.

"I didn't think so." Olivia responded, her knuckles turning white as she tightened her grip. "Don't get me wrong, Sir Hellsing, I am not excusing Alucard's actions nor am I making him into some type of tragic hero. But…" She placed a hand over her heart with a far-off look. "Monsters don't cry, Sir Hellsing."

"…He wha-?"

"I am not saying you have to be friends with him, but….while he may be your servant, he isn't your slave. Alucard has been one all his life, so, my request is for you to talk to him, not as his master but as a person. You can say whatever you want, but…please….just say something to him that is not a kill order." Olivia bowed before backing away towards the door. "That is all. Please excuse me, Sir Hellsing."

And she was gone, leaving Arthur to mull over her request in stunned silence.

"Such bold words." Arthur chuckled to himself, resting his forehead against the cool glass. "Who is she to talk to me like that? I'm her commanding officer, not a child in need of a scolding."

And now she was actually making him consider trekking down to the dungeon and having a tête-à-tête with the family dog?

"Ridiculous." He shook his head, about to close the curtains when he noticed Olivia touch her chest again.

She had been doing that often as of late with a pained expression on her face, and Arthur could guess who she was thinking about.

'That idiot. After everything he did to you, you still care for him?'

Arthur hated human emotion since it did nothing but hinder progress and cause unnecessary pain. He needed soldiers to protect England and the royal family, not a melodrama starring an overly sensitive teenager and the family pet.

"….Dash it all!" Arthur threw himself away from the window and marched out of his office and down the hall. "If this will get my organization back into working order, then so be it!"

With little care, he flung the portrait off the wall and hurried down the stairs at a brisk pace, the torches on the wall igniting with every step he took.

Once he reached the bottom, Arthur took a moment to compose himself and stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets, slowly strutting down the hallway.

'Why the hell was I running down here like some temperamental child? I refuse to let this foolishness get the better of me!'

As he reached the end of the hallway, Arthur spotted Alucard sitting in his throne and he cleared his throat before stepping into the room.

"Well, well," Alucard chuckled as he rose up from his throne, taking his hat off. "The master ascends from on high to mingle with his slave." Then with a swish of his arm, the hat was placed against his chest as he bowed at the waist.

Arthur just stared down at the smirking vampire, wondering if something like him was capable of crying.

'Monsters don't cry'/'He's not a slave'/'Do you know anything about him?'

'Oh for-! Fine!' Arthur rubbed the bridge of his nose and groaned, to both the bemusement and amusement of Alucard.

"My master, are you feeling under the weather?" Alucard stepped aside and gestured to his throne. "Please take a se-."

"I can stand, Alucard. I don't plan to stay for long." Arthur held a hand out and signaled for him to sit back down. "I just have some business to deal with and I'll be on my way."

"As you wish." Alucard nodded and took a seat, thrilled about his master's surprise visit. "My, my, it has been years since your last visit. Tell me, how old were you when you first wandered down here?"

"Why are you asking me?" Arthur mumbled under his breath, feeling like an idiot for letting Olivia's pleas get to him so easily. "You remember perfectly well."

"But I would like to hear it from you." Alucard chuckled, clasping his hands together on his lap like Arthur was going to tell him a riveting tale; Arthur rubbed his nose again before nodding wearily.

"It was Christmas Eve, and I had just turned fourteen. My cousins had come over after caroling and we were playing hide and seek. Not wanting to be found first, I disobeyed my father's orders and snuck into the forbidden wing of the estate. There, I found the entrance to the dungeon and wandered down the stairs, believing I have found the perfect hiding spot." Arthur then crossed his arms and glowered down at Alucard, who was grinning like a kid in a candy store. "Instead, I found something else and had the daylights scared out of me."

"Yes, it was rather amusing when you squealed like a mouse."

"Oh, shut up!" Arthur's face flushed a tomato red. "You jumped out at me from the darkness! What else was I supposed to do?!"

Alucard just laughed and Arthur's eyebrows twitched in annoyance, recalling that fateful night in perfect detail.

'Your laugh is still the same. Even then, when I was on the verge of tears, I thought you had such an annoyingly arrogant laugh.'

"Do I now?" Alucard asked, reminding Arthur that he could read minds. "What else did you think about me, my master?"

"I…." Arthur crossed his arms again and stared at his feet, bile rising in his throat as old memories resurfaced. "I thought….'Why does my father have an emaciated vampire chained in our dungeon?'

"Emaciated? Is that how I looked to you?" He scoffed, that smile still on his face.

"You were basically skin and bones, and the way you were struggling against the chains on your wrists and ankles made me think of an emaciated dog rather than a fearsome vampire. Not to mention you had a muzzle too." Arthur confessed, Olivia's intentions slowly dawning on him.

'He is not your slave'/'Monsters don't cry'

Monsters…don't cry.

"Yes," Alucard still grinned, but Arthur noticed a trace of something else in his tone. "Your father was dedicated to keeping me tame like the dog I am."

'A dog. Even I call him that without thinking about the implications.'

"As I recall," Arthur muttered, fiddling with a cuff link, "Your wrists and ankles were nothing but raw bone when the chains were taken off."

"Yes, when you inherited the organization at age eighteen, that was your first order." Alucard stood once again and bowed. "You are too kind to me, Master."

"Don't patronize me, Alucard." Arthur rubbed the back of his neck again, not liking what this little field trip was doing to his perception of Alucard. He was still master of the house, and Alucard was still a dangerous weapon; nothing would change that.

"Do forgive me. That was not my intention."

Arthur secretly thought it was surreal that a once feared tyrant and prince served his family and, while he knew Alucard was bound to the Hellsing organization, Arthur also noticed that Alucard seemed to derive pleasure from serving the Hellsings.

After all these years, Alucard was still a mystery to Arthur yet he knew he could rely on Alucard to execute his orders perfectly.

…Oh.

"Are you alright, Sir Hellsing?" Alucard's voice broke through his thoughts. "If something is troubling you, just give me the order and I shall deal with it."

And for some odd reason, Arthur smiled at that.

'This vile beast…..this pitiful Nosferatu….what a loyal dog he is.'

"Master Hellsing?"

"My apologizes." Arthur shook his head, the smile still on his face. "I should be getting back to work. But, before I go, there is something I want to say to you."

Then, to Alucard's surprise, Arthur stepped forward and placed a hand on his cheek, his touch like lightning against Alucard's skin.

"Thank you for serving my family all these years, Alucard. I hope we have many more successful years together."

The master had praised his dog, and like any good dog, Alucard reveled in it.

"My master," Alucard's eyes shut at the sensation. "I desire the same. Just say the word, and I will do anything you wish. "

"Hmph." Arthur snorted, letting his hand fall back to his side. "It was nice, having this little tête-à-tête with you. You make for an interesting conversation partner."

"I am humbled." Alucard chuckled, clasping his hands back together. "You are spoiling me today, Master. What is the occasion?"

"I wasn't my idea to come here, but a certain little rabbit asked me to."

The temperature in the room dropped ten degrees, and the smile dissolved from Alucard's face.

"…Did she now? And how is the Little Rabbit? I haven't been graced with her presence for almost a month."

Arthur stared at Alucard for a minute before sighing and digging his heels into the stone ground.

"She locked herself away in her room, ignoring everything and cursing your name until Walter talked some sense into her." Arthur stuffed his hands into his pockets and began to walk away. "The night she finally ventured out, the first thing she did was come to me with a confession and a request."

Then, as he reached the threshold to the hallway, he glanced over his shoulder. "Olivia is not the same as she once was and I don't know what you did to her, but that girl, despite everything, still cares about you."

The temperature fell lower and the hair on the back of Arthur's neck stood up.

"I will not stand for my soldiers to be burdened by anything else but their missions at hand. Since neither of you will act first, I will. Alucard, go to her. That is an order."

Seconds later, Arthur was left alone in the basement, digging into his coat pocket for a cigarette.

"Ready or not, Olivia." He puffed. "Here he comes."

Olivia was nestled on one of the tree branches when the sensation of tiny spider legs washed over her body.

He was here.

'Oh God…' She closed her eyes and bit her lip. 'Why now of all times?'

But Olivia knew it was time to face him and if she ran away, she had no right to call herself a soldier.

So, after making sure her voice was steady, Olivia turned her neck and gazed down to find Alucard staring back up at her, his trademark hat and glasses in place.

"Hello, Alucard." She whispered, his name feeling heavy on her tongue.

"Good afternoon, Little Rabbit." He replied, leaning against the tree with his arms crossed

"Why are you here?" She asked, buying time so she could gather her thoughts in an orderly manner. "Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"

"I was ordered to come here after Sir Hellsing ventured down to my dungeon for a sudden heart-to-heart; he says you sent him there."

Olivia wasn't sure if his tone was accusatory or informative, so she decided on the latter.

"…..I did."

"And why? As I understand, you have been pushing me away."

"You pushed me away first." The words slipped out of her mouth before she knew it, and Olivia felt her palms start to sweat.

"….So I did." He studied her face, his eyes glued on the ugly purple bruise staining her cheek. "The Angel of Death let you a gift, I see."

"He gave me a much needed awakening." She fiddled with her bracelets, decided it was time to stop beating out the bush. "I still can't forgive you for what you did in the past."

"I never asked for your forgiveness. All I did was provide answers."

"Yes, I am aware it was my choice and now I have to live with it. But….you aren't who I thought you were."

"I never lied to you about who I was. You made an idealistic version of me on your own."

"Yes, I know." Olivia scoffed, realizing just how childish her reasoning had been all these years. "The naïve little girl gets rescued by the dashing, mysterious knight in red and she worships him. But…I can't see you like that anymore. The things you did….they are inexcusable. Nothing can justify the slaughter of innocent people and I was wrong to believe you were some fallen deity. But….," She placed a hand over her chest, "when my heart was yours and your heart was mine, I could feel you wanted someone to stop you, yet no one did. And….I genuinely wish I could've decimated the Sultan for what he did to you. I…I know you don't want to hear it, but I'm sorry. You may take it as pity, but it's not. I truly am sorry for what happened to you."

Alucard didn't respond at first but, when he finally did, it was with a string of questions.

"Why did you send Sir Hellsing to me? Why would you care about something that embodies everything you hate? Are you truly that naïve or are you that much of an idiot?" He stepped forward and placed his hands on the branch she was sitting on. "Answer me that."

"Because," Olivia rotated so that her legs were now hanging off the branch, her knees brushing against his shoulder. "You have been a slave all your life. Even when you reclaimed your kingdom, you were still under Ottoman influence and now, you are bound to the Hellsing organization as a weapon. I don't expect Sir Hellsing to treat you like royalty but I wanted him to realize his 'dog' isn't some marionette doll." The back of her eyes began to sting yet she pressed forward. "Why do I care about you? That is a good question. After all, you are a horrible, disgusting monster who was weighed down by his past that he couldn't see his future! You are no different than the people who drove my family out of Hungary nor any different from the fascists reigning terror over Europe! WHY DO I CARE ABOUT YOU?!" Olivia's voice cracked as her tears bubbled over and cascaded down her cheeks. "You may have been a prince, a tyrant, and a count, but to me, you are just Alucard and despite everything, I still love you all the same."

Her tears splattered on his face, but Alucard was too stunned to react and could only watch as Olivia furiously wiped her eyes.

"You…are still my family.." She sniffed, her eyes aching from crying so much. "See! Look at what you've turned me into! Because of you, I'll be ugly and no one will ever look at me."

Alucard reached out and cupped her injured cheek, wiping her tears away with a feather-like touch.

"Alucard…?" Olivia whimpered, faintly seeing his maroon eyes through his glasses.

He continued to hold her face with a blank expression before that infamous grin spread across his face.

"You really are a stupid little rabbit, aren't you?"

Taken aback for a moment, Olivia couldn't help but crack a tiny grin and nod.

"I have to be."

Then, with that tiny smile still on her face, Olivia reached out and removed his glasses and hat before placing them next to her.

Now they were face to face.

"Let's start over." She offered, holding a hand out. "My name is Olivia Emese Song. I hope we will pave way for a brighter future that outshines the past."

That ingenuous way of speaking, how he had missed it.

His smile growing, Alucard reached to reciprocate the gesture.

Only to have Olivia suddenly lift her hand up and chop him on the forehead.

Much like one does to an alarm clock.

And just like he had done to her all those years ago.

Touching his forehead, Alucard narrowed his eyes at her insolence, only to be rendered speechless when Olivia started to laugh.

"Consider that payback for what you've done to me." Then she cupped his face in her hands and smiled fully at him. "Whether they are blue or red, you've always had beautiful eyes….."

If this had been like before, he would've pushed her out of the tree or pulled at her injured cheek for such insolence.

But…he didn't.

Because even though Olivia was smiling at him, her eyes looked at him differently.

They were more guarded now, and the innocent gleam had dimmed down.

Her trust and belief in him had been fractured, and yet….she still loved him.

He still was part of her family.

Without thinking or for any rational reason, Alucard laid his head on Olivia's lap as her hands—her bandaged hands—ran through his hair like his mother and Jusztina had done for him all those centuries ago.

Perhaps a small part of Olivia's heart still rested inside him, causing him to act like a child clinging to his mother.

But, as Olivia hummed and ran her fingers through his hair, he felt something that was both familiar and foreign and before he knew it, his tears were staining her dress red.

And Olivia laughed and leaned forward, resting her head on top of his.

"What a pathetic pair of crybabies we are."

And the warmth of her skin paired with her gentle Hungarian accent and the feel of her heartbeat, Alucard allowed his eyes to flutter shut as he nodded.

"What a pair we are indeed."

He was an irredeemable monster and the only way he would know peace was when his unlife was ended by a worthy human.

But now, just for right now, if this girl said she would love him until love dies, well maybe that was enough.

A/N: They have made up! The family is back together again! Although, Olivia still doesn't trust Alucard completely and this small arc is where her relationships with each character changes for the better or the worse. THE ACTION WILL BE BACK! I PROMISE THE DAWN SECTION OF THIS FIC IS ON THE HORIZON! I JUST NEED TO WRITE ONE LAST SMALL ARC AND WE ARE THERE! And if anyone knows where that last line in the chapter came from, you win! And, just to say, there may be romance in the future, but for now, everything is platonic and/or family love! Lol!

Please leave a review! I love them so much!

And look forward to the next chapter!

See you in the next one!

:D