A/N: I thank you all for the love you have given this fic! I love you all so much!

*opens umbrella* Get ready for the first wave of the storm!

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

Please enjoy~! :D

"Wow," Olivia marveled as Martha spun around, the skirt of her wedding gown fanning out around her. "You look beautiful, Mar-I mean, Lady Hellsing!"

"Oh enough of that." Martha giggled, patting her reddening cheeks. "I will be the same as before, just a married woman instead of a single one."

Olivia laughed and nodded in agreement, bouncing on her heels much like an excitable rabbit.

Currently, the two of them were at the dressmakers to do last minute alterations on the wedding gown. It was a beautiful cream brocade gown with tiers of gold stain and pearls adorning the front; blue and golden flowers adorning the long sleeves and the corset, and her white veil was translucent and touched the ground.

"You look like a queen, Martha!" Olivia squealed, hopping up and down. "You will be the envy of the average teenager to the Queen herself!"

"Tish tosh!" She laughed, gazing fondly down at her emerald engagement ring before sparing a shy glance in Olivia's direction. "…Even the Queen?"

"Yes!" Olivia nodded vigorously. "In fact, you should laugh with your nose and chin held high like those fancy ladies! Follow my lead!" She placed her hands on her hips, threw her head back, and let out her best impression of a snobbish English lady. "Oh ho ho ho~!"

Martha had to brace herself against the wall, falling into a fit of laughter as the gown and veil wrinkled.

"No, no!" The dressmaker, Mr. Ignacio Chairez, scampered into the dressing room and pulled Martha to her feet, grumbling under his breath as he smoothed out the wrinkled, immaculate gown.

"Please forgive me, Mr. Chairez." Olivia smiled sheepishly when he shot a death glare in her direction. "It won't happen again."

"Make sure it does not." Ignacio snapped before turning back towards Martha. "Senorita Lyons, is the gown to your liking? I apologize for not finishing it earlier."

"Please, Mr. Chairez, it was worth the wait and more." Martha beamed, clasping her hands together and bowing, her old maid habits kicking in. "I do hope you will be able to attend the ceremony tomorrow. You did receive an invitation, correct?"

"I did, and I would be honored to attend. After all, I must see how Sir Hellsing will react to my masterpiece!"

Martha giggled and placed a hand over her heart, a dreamy gleam in her eyes.

'Will he cry when he sees me?' She wondered, envisioning herself walking down the aisle and towards Arthur who stood at the end. 'Will he faint? Oh God, I hope he doesn't faint!'

"I'm sure Sir Hellsing's jaw will drop to the ground when he sees you!" Olivia cheered, causing Martha to blush and grin down at her ring again. "Now, put your shoes on and we can practice walking around."

"Oh, well, shouldn't we head home soon?" Martha glanced over at the clock reading '6:45 pm'. "Walter will need help preparing dinner and Arthur would like to practice our dance once more."

"I wouldn't worry about them." Olivia chuckled, bending down with a pair of white heels in her hand and slipping them onto Martha's feet. "I'm sure they are doing just fine."

"For Christ's sake, Sir Hellsing!" Walter slammed his hands down on the counter. "The recipe says to 'lightly mush the apricots' not bash them into smithereens!"

Arthur stared down at the apricot remains scattered across the counter, his apron, his and Walter's cheeks—basically everywhere expect the bowl it was supposed to be in.

"Oops" was all Arthur could say, and Walter slammed his forehead against the counter, hating himself for agreeing to teach Sir Hellsing how to bake when the man couldn't boil water to save his life.

Eventually, Walter lifted his head back up, a dark red mark stamped on his forehead, and he took a deep breath before addressing Sir Hellsing, calmly.

"Let's…just be a bit more careful and follow the instructions, alright, Sir Hellsing?"

"Yeah," Arthur chuckled, scratching his cheek bashfully. "Sorry about that, Walter. It's just…Martha has baked and cooked for me since we were kids, and well…I wanted to do the same for her at least once."

Walter's nose wrinkled at the enamored expression on Arthur's face, still not one who fancied love and all the mushy junk that came with it. But, when Arthur came to Walter and begged him to teach him how to bake a Battenberg cake, Walter couldn't say no.

While Walter did not care for Arthur and Martha's displays of affection, he did care for their happiness and if teaching his culinary inept lord how to bake a cake would make them happy, then so be it.

Rolling up his sleeves, Walter cleaned up the counter and placed a fresh apricot in Arthur's hand, watching as he 'lightly mushed the apricot' with a keen eye.

"I can't wait to see the look on Martha's face when she comes home and finds out I baked her favorite." Arthur grinned, adding sugar to the mushed apricots before dumping them in a pan on the stove. "I know I won't be able to do this often, considering my duties to the Crown, but…I want to be a good husband before being a good director."

Walter immediately stared down at his feet, neither used to nor comfortable with Sir Hellsing being vocal about his feelings.

"I'm…sure you will, Sir Hellsing." He mumbled, lowering the heat on the stove so the sugar wouldn't burn. "You will make a fine husband to Martha."

"I hope so." Arthur sighed, staring off into the distance before shaking his head. "Heh, got lost in thought for a moment there. Let's hurry and finish this cake before Martha and Olivia come home."

"Don't fret. I told Olivia to stall until 7:20. By then, the cake should be fresh out of the oven, and we will have time to clean the kitchen."

"W-Wait, I have to clean up too?"

"Yes, I figured it was time to teach you how to organize and clean up after yourself. Judging by the state of your office, you were spoiled in that sense."

"Hehe," Arthur rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I guess I should learn a thing or two. I don't want Martha to constantly clean up after me."

'But you are fine with me cleaning up after you?!' The metal spoon in Walter's grip nearly bent in half but he bit his tongue and continued to observe Sir Hellsing's movements when a familiar laugh echoed throughout the kitchen.

"Well, well," Alucard waltzed out of the wall, wearing his usual hat and glasses. "I must say, you look ravishing in that frilly apron, Master."

Arthur's ears flushed tomato red and he ripped one of the knives out of its drawer and pointed the tip against Alucard's Adam's apple.

"Silence! I didn't want to get my clothes dirty! That is all!"

Walter rolled his eyes as Alucard chuckled and held his hands up in mock surrender.

"You've never threatened to behead me before, Master." Alucard hummed, his eyes glittering in amusement. "Why not give it a try? I wouldn't mind if you were the one to do it."

Arthur just scoffed before placing the knife back in its drawer and returning to the stove.

"Return to the dungeons, Alucard." He scowled, moving the pan as the mixture began to bubble. "I have to finish this cake before Martha comes home!"

"A battle against time then?" Alucard smirked, leaning against the opposing counter with his arms crossed. "May I stay and watch then? It is always thrilling to watch how you fare in battle, Master."

"Shit!" Arthur jumped back as his hand grazed the searing edge of the pot. "Fine! Fine!" He raced over to the sink to run cold water over the reddening skin. "You can stay! But, if you do anything to sabotage me, I will order Walter to slice you into pieces and hide your remains in separate silver boxes that will be scattered across the globe!"

"Go ahead, Alucard." Walter snorted, flexing his fingers in challenge. "I developed a stronger fiber for my wires, and I have been dying to try them out."

"Really?" Alucard slid his revolver out from its holster and cocked the hammer back. "It has been far too long since we've gone head to head, Angel of Death! I wonder if those precious wires of yours will be able to leave a single scratch on me!"

"Why you arrogant son of a-!"

"Shut your mouths before I lock the lot of you in the dungeon!" Arthur's glare was hot enough to melt an iceberg. "I am trying to do something very important! Walter, get over here and tell me what to do next! Alucard, get out of here or stay on that side of the kitchen! Got it?!"

"Yes, Master Hellsing." The two replied in unison, although Walter's tone was apologetic while Alucard's was teasing.

"Alright," Arthur took a deep breath to compose himself before continuing. "Walter, I'm finished with the apricot jam. What is next?"

The sun had set by the time Martha and Olivia had left Mr. Chairez's shop. The gown would be brought to the church early tomorrow morning, so Martha could get ready there and to prevent anything from staining the expensive fabric.

"I do wish you'd allow me to buy you a flower girl dress, Olivia." Martha hummed, staring at the usual white dress Olivia wore. "Are you sure you want to wear that old thing to the ceremony?"

"But of course!" Olivia beamed, twirling around. "You made this for me, and I want proudly display it. Besides, it is like my uniform and Walter will be wearing his uniform."

"That is true." Martha giggled, staring up at the moon and sighing blissfully. "I can't believe Arthur and I will be married tomorrow. It seems just like yesterday we were six years old and he was giving me a bouquet of daises as a bribe to be his friend and not just his maid."

"Daisies?" Olivia's ears perked up. "Are daisies your favorite flowers, Martha?"

"Yes, if only because they remind me of Arthur."

"Hmm." The gears in Olivia's mind began to turn and she stopped suddenly.

"Olivia?"

"Wait here for a moment, Martha." Olivia pulled her over to a nearly bench perched under a street lamp. "I'll be right back with a surprise!"

"Wa-Wait! It's dark!" Martha called out to her, but Olivia was already running across the deserted street. "Olivia! Come back!"

"I'll be right back, Martha! Don't move!" She responded over her shoulder, disappearing into the rows of trees in the distance and leaving Martha to sigh in defeat.

"Please hurry back." She uttered, rubbing her thumb over her engagement ring. "It is dangerous for a girl to be out after dark, and I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to you."

"You are right," A deep, monotone voice agreed, and Martha whirled around to find a tall, looming figure in front of her. "It is dangerous for a girl to be out after dark."

"OLI-Mmph!" But her screams were cut short as the mysterious assailant shoved a bag over her head and threw her struggling form over their shoulder before retreating into the night.

"There is it!" Olivia cheered, falling to her knees in a patch of daisies and quickly gathering them into her arms. "Gotta hurry, gotta hurry! I don't want to leave Martha alone for too long!"

She had come across this daisy patch a year ago during a mission and always wanted to return to it someday.

Shuffling around on her hands and knees, Olivia squinted in the moonlight and studied each daisy to judge whether they were beautiful enough for Martha.

'Maybe I can weave these into Martha's hair for the ceremony!' Olivia squealed and buried her face against the growing bouquet. 'Yes, she will look even more stunning!'

And with that, she gathered more and more, imagining how jovial Martha would be when she got an eyeful of the massive daisy bouquet.

The bag was removed and a thick wad of cotton was shoved into Martha's mouth, preventing her from calling out for help as the mysterious assailant loomed over her, their face covered by a Noh mask.

They placed a finger to the mask's lips, signaling for her to be silent.

She had been dragged out into a field encircled by trees and the moon shone high in the sky, revealing certain features about her attacker.

Besides the mask, they wore black, leather gloves and wore an old WWI English uniform. And, strapped across their front and back, were an array of knives, two guns, and a hammer.

Her heart pounding in her ears, Martha kicked the assailant's legs out from under them and scrambled to her feet when they suddenly yanked Martha back by her hair and threw her back on the ground.

'OLIVIA! OLIVIA!' Martha was hyperventilating as the attacker climbed on top her and pinned her hands down with the palms up. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" Her muffled scream came out. "WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH ME?!"

The masked attacker didn't reply, instead they grabbed one of the knives from their waist and held it up to the moonlight, inspecting the jagged edges with a keen eye. Then, only sparing her a glance, they jammed it through Martha's right palm and into the ground; her wails of agony were silenced as the attacker slammed their palm over her face and beat her head against the ground over and over.

'Olivia….' Martha's vision was fuzzy as blood gushed from her nose and forehead and her impaled right hand twitched involuntarily. 'Walter…..Arthur….Someone…anyone… please….help me….'

Then the masked assailant whipped out another knife and was about to do the same to her left hand when they stopped suddenly. They lifted her hand up and inspected the emerald ring on her finger before slipping it off and impaled the knife through her left hand.

"NO! NO!" Martha's skin tore and her nerves singed as she struggled, but all she could see was her engagement ring in that monster's clutches. "GIVE IT BACK! GIVE IT BACK!" Her legs flailed around, and the heel of her foot knocked against the attacker's temple, causing them to drop the ring and fall to the side disoriented.

The ring landed just out of reaching distance of Martha's left hand, but she still tried to reach for it, chanting Arthur's name like a mantra.

But the assailant got back up and placed their feet on top of the knives, pushing them deeper into the ground and through her palms.

"AAAAHHHHH!" Martha squeezed her eyes shut, throwing her head back as tears poured down her cheeks. "OLIVIA! WALTER! ARTHUR!"

Then, her eyes shot wide open as the attacker stepped away and slid the hammer off their back.

"NO! NO! NO!" The attacker positioned their hammer over her legs, doing a few practice swings. "NO! NO! NO!" Then they lifted the hammer up. "NO! NO!" And then, with a grunt, they swung it back down with all their might.

NOOOO!

The sound of bones shattering and Martha's muffled wails filled the air, but the attacker kept bringing the hammer down again and again until the shards of Martha's tibula and fibula protruded from her skin.

'I can't die like this..' Martha wept, her entire body writhing in agony. 'I want to see my family's faces…..I want to see Arthur…I want to see my husband again…'

Then, the assailant bent down and removed the cotton wads from Martha's mouth, the cotton soaked in blood and saliva.

"Why….?" Martha whimpered, watching as they raised their hammer again. "What have I done to you….?"

"It's nothing personal." The attacker—a man—replied, not an ounce of emotion in his voice. "I am just here to send a message."

And, as the hammer swung back down, Martha gathered up her remaining strength to deliver one final plea.

"OLIVIA, RUN AWAY!"

Olivia spun around at the sound and dropped the armful of daisies, dashing back through the dirt path and forest.

"MARTHA!" She bellowed. "I'M COMING!"

But, when she arrived at the street lamp and bench, nobody was there.

'No, no, no!' Olivia's heart began to race as she frantically searched the area, yelling Martha's name at the top of her lungs. "MARTHA! WHERE ARE YOU?! ANSWER ME! MARTHA!"

Then, as she raced past a ten foot hedge, a familiar, foul odor invaded her senses.

"NO!" Olivia clawed through the hedge and found the other side led out to a forest where the smell was coming from. "NO! NO!"

The trees and shrubs flew past her as she followed the smell and continued to desperately call out to Martha.

Soon, Olivia found herself standing in a field and there, lying in a pool of blood, was Martha.

"Martha…." Olivia stumbled forward, her voice hoarse and her limbs like lead. "Martha? Is…Is that you?"

As she drew closer, Olivia could see Martha had been crucified onto the ground with silver knives, the bones in her legs had been shattered, her dress had been ripped open, and her face….her beautiful, smiling face had been smashed in repeatedly.

"M-Martha!" Olivia fell to her knees and gathered Martha's corpse into her arms, her voice cracking and her eyes burning. "Wake up! Wake up! I'm here now! I'm here! Open your eyes!"

But Martha didn't stir and her final words resonated through Olivia's mind.

"Olivia! Come back!"

"No…"

Olivia had left her.

"No!"

Olivia wasn't there to protect her.

"NO!"

Olivia had abandoned her family once again.

"NO!" Olivia buried her face against Martha's chest, her entire body shaking as Martha's blood soaked onto her. "THIS CAN'T BE REAL! NOT AGAIN! NOT AGAIN!"

And through her wails, Olivia could not hear the sound of someone sneaking up behind her until the assailant cocked the hammer of his pistol and shot two bullets into Olivia's back, her blood staining his mask.

Alucard's eyes shot open and he threw himself away from the counter as Arthur and Walter finished decorating the cake.

"A-Alucard?!" Arthur gulped, the rare horrified expression on his servant's face unnerving him. "What is wrong with you!? Answer me!"

"She's in danger…" Alucard muttered, his horrified expression morphing into one of rage. "Master, we need to go. Now."

Blood gushed from Olivia's mouth as she feebly attempted to face her attacker while still clinging onto Martha's corpse.

"Are you…" She coughed, moving one hand to grab Sic Parvis Magna from her waist. "Are you the one who did this?"

The masked man said nothing as he raised his hand into the air, a small object nestled between his index finger and thumb sparkling in the moonlight.

Martha's engagement ring.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Olivia fired an arrow just as the assailant fired another round, this time hitting her in the abdomen and right hand, sending Sic Parvis Magna flying out of her grasp.

She crumbled to the ground, her blood forming a puddle in the grass, but Olivia still crawled forward, reaching out for her weapon. But, just as her right hand landed on her bow, the assailant slammed the heel of his boot onto her wrist and twisted it, grinding her bones to dust.

"AAAHHHH!" Olivia cried out as he applied more pressure, as if relishing her screams.

Through her blurry vision, Olivia blindly reached into the folds of her dress and yanked out an arrow before piercing it through his heel.

The assailant let out a gasp as he stumbled back, giving Olivia the opportunity to seize her weapon and stumble up to her feet, her right hand hanging limply at her side. And now, Olivia could see that her first arrow had made contact, the silver arrow jutting from his neck.

"Come on." Olivia growled, using Sic Parvis Magna to support her weight as she stumbled forward. "Fight me, you monster!" Using her remaining hand, she placed an arrow's nock and the bow string in her mouth and pulled back them back, ready to fire.

But the assailant….he didn't attack.

Instead, he ran away like a spineless coward.

"COME BACK H-!" Olivia collapsed into the dirt, throwing up blood and seeing double. "COME BACK AND FIGHT ME!"

Suddenly, from high above, she heard Walter calling out to her.

"OLIVIA!"

Gathering up all her strength, Olivia flipped herself over to find Alucard descending from the sky with Walter on his back and Sir Hellsing in his arms.

'No…' She squeezed her eyes shut as tears pooled down her cheeks. 'Oh God no…'

"OLIVIA!" Walter leapt off Alucard's back and raced over to her, gathering her into his arms. "Fuck! What happened, Olivia?!" He ripped his tie off his neck and held it against her abdomen to stop the bleeding. "Who did this?!"

But Olivia couldn't answer him because…all she could see was Sir Hellsing falling to his knees next to Martha's corpse and reaching out to her with trembling hands.

"M-Martha?" His usually strong and confident voice was nothing but a faint whisper now. "Love, it's me." He bundled her up in his arms and began to shake her limp form. "It's your fiancé, Arthur. Wh-Why are you covered in blood, Martha?" He let out a pathetic half-laugh as he smoothed back her hair and found her partially caved in skull. "Who did this to you, my love? Who…who dared to lay hands on you? Who did this?! WHO DID THIS?!" Arthur cradled her against his chest and let out a heart wrenching wail as tears rained down his face. "MARTHA!"

"Oh fuck…" Walter gasped, staring at his old colleagues' corpse with bile rising up his throat. "O-Olivia,…what happened? How did this happen?!"

Olivia couldn't answer and just silently wept as her tears mixed with her blood.

"ANSWER HIM!" She was suddenly torn out of Walter's arms as Arthur grabbed her by the shoulders and jostled her roughly. "HOW THE FUCKING HELL DID THIS HAPPEN?! HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN?! ANSWER ME GODDAMMIT!"

Olivia could only whimper as blood continued to gush from her nose and mouth, wishing Sir Hellsing had stabbed her instead.

"Sir Hellsing! Stop it!" Walter tried to intervene, but Arthur just shoved him away.

"YOU DARE TO CALL YOURSELF A SOLDIER?! YOU DARE TO CALL US YOUR FAMILY?! YOU COULDN'T EVEN PROTECT MARTHA, YOUR COMMANDING OFFICER'S BRIDE!" Arthur's voice cracked horribly as he weakly shook her one last time, all the anger and ferocity gone and replaced with desolation. "Where were you…? Why weren't you there to save her? Answer me…."

"It's all my fault…." Olivia breathed out, the pain in her heart outweighing the gunshot injuries and broken wrist. "I left Martha unprotected…and allowed her to die….It's all my fault…."

At the sight of Olivia's sobbing and injured form, Arthur's face crumbled and he released his death grip on her as he stared blankly into the distance.

"My Martha….is dead…." He buried his face in his hands and sobbed. "She is dead…"

Olivia didn't bother to apologize because she didn't want to be forgiven….she didn't deserve to be forgiven.

Olivia had committed that unforgivable sin again, except this time, she had the ability to prevent it.

But…she didn't….she didn't….

"Olivia…" Walter reached out to her, only for her to curl away from him in self-disgust. Then he turned to Alucard, who had been watching the scene before him stone faced. "Can you see the bastard who did this?"

"Yes," He lowered his glasses, his eyes glowing red as he used his third eye to find the assailant. "He is running away to his home and is leaving a trail of blood in his wake." Alucard faced Sir Hellsing and bowed at the waist with his hand over his heart. "Give me the order, Master, and I will erase that pathetic coward from existence-."

"Wait," Olivia's voice interrupted him and he turned to find her using Sic Parvis Magna to hoist herself up to her feet. "Sir Hellsing, I beg you…"

Walter leapt forward when her left leg gave out, but she held a hand out to keep him at bay. Once she was completely on her feet, Walter was shocked to find not the tear-stained face of a little girl but the cold, bloodthirsty face of a warrior.

"Please," She continued, her gaze fixated on Sir Hellsing. "Permission to go after him alone."

"Like Hell!" Walter protested. "You can barely stand, and you'll bleed to death if you don't get to a hospital immediately!"

"Sir Hellsing?" Olivia asked again, ignoring Walter's concern completely. "Your orders?"

Alucard, on the other hand, gazed at Olivia's blood soaked form with a wide grin. She had lost the use of her right hand, was shot in the back and abdomen, and had lost her mother figure the same way she had lost her family. And yet, there Olivia stood, her green eyes almost red in the moonlight as she begged their Master to allow her to go after Martha's murderer alone.

'Oh say yes, Master.' Alucard thought, licking his lips in delight. 'Allow me to see this Little Ra-no, this beautiful warrior in battle.'

Without sparing Olivia even a passing glance, Arthur knelt next to Martha's corpse before sweeping her up in his arms and trudging away with his back to them. Then, just as he reached the edge of the forest, Arthur tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and gave his order.

"Go."

A/N: Time has repeated itself. As an eight year old girl, Olivia left her family to pick flowers to surprise them and came home to find them dead. Now as a fourteen year old girl, Olivia left her mother figure behind to pick flowers to surprise her and comes back to find her dead. (And both times, Alucard was present). As for the actions of the killer, ('William'), and just what his 'message' was supposed to be will be revealed in the next chapter. Also what exactly Richard ordered and why 'William' ran away will be revealed then too.

So, yes, Martha was murdered. I hinted at this possibility a few chapters back when I said I would be following the manga/OVA very closely. It did hurt me to kill Martha off since she was just starting to blossom and she was finally marrying her childhood love. But, even so, her final words were to protect Olivia, not herself.

Look forward to part 2 of the storm in the next chapter! And will Olivia make it out intact, in both body and mind? Hmmm.

I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review! I love them so much!

See you in the next chapter~! :D