A/N: *Michael Scott voice* It's Britney, bitch. I'm back.

I'm so sorry for taking a year to update this fic. In short, life got crazy and I had no time to write/I had no inspiration to write.

But I am here, and I will finish this fic!

Thank you all so much for being patient and for the beautiful words of support you've given me! I love you guys so much!

Here is the next chapter! Please enjoy! I welcome all new and returning readers! :D

It had only been a matter on time.

Whether it was weeks, months, or four years, it had only been a matter of time until those familiar parasites feasted upon Olivia's soul again.

Uncertainty

Anxiety

Fear

Apprehension

Desperation

'I finally have all those dear to me within arms reach, I've finally made peace with what I am, I've finally obtained some semblance of tranquility. And now….the universe declares that I've had my share, and it has come to devour me again.' Olivia curled her cursed hand into a fist, the ghosts of the creature's jaws and Sir Hellsing's drills tearing into her flesh. 'What will you take from me now? What part of me will you annihilate before hanging the remains above my half-dead corpse?' Standing before her bedroom's moonlit window, Olivia unbuttoned her shirt until her torso was bare for all the night to see. 'Will another bullet pierce my heart?' She traced the scar on her chest. 'Or will another boot shatter my wrists to dust? Or…' Olivia stared at her cursed arm and its stark contrast against the rest of her skin. 'Will Sir Hellsing use me as a tool again and the mark will consume my body until nothing is left?' Olivia traced her fingertips from her wrist, up her arm, and over to her chest, recalling the excruciating agony of her bones rearranging themselves with a blank expression. "I believed nothing could top the suffering you've already put me through—I suppose you plan to prove me wrong and destroy me for good.'

A large cloud gradually eclipsed the moon, casting the room into diminishing darkness. Then, as the dark consumed her left and light remained on the right, Olivia's eyes flickered red for a moment.

"I'd love to see you try."

Then the darkness engulfed her completely and her mind flashed back to the banquet a few hours prior.

"Walter! I need to talk to you!" Olivia yanked Walter away from the champagne cart and behind one of the marble pillars.

"What the f—?!" Walter struggled before she restrained and slammed him against the pillar.

"Be quiet!" Olivia jammed her finger against his lips with a hiss, her hair frazzled and her pulse still racing. "We need to secure the perimeter. Something is wrong—I don't know what—but we need to—."

"Olivia, what the hell are you talking about?" Walter nudged her finger away with a scowl. "We already secured the perimeter before the reception. Nothing could enter or leave the palace without striking one of my wires and alerting me first."

"But there is something wrong! Some creature slipped past your defenses and bit me! Look!" She brandished her hand to his face.

Walter inspected both dorsal and ventral sides before gracing her with an annoyed glare.

"I don't see jackshit."

"That is because the bite mark disappeared when the creature's body turned to ash! It didn't have a chance to drink my blood, but I know what I saw. And don't you fucking dare accuse me of seeing things because we fight the living dead on a daily basis!"

"Did I say you were seeing things?!" Walter growled, slightly miffed Olivia's shoes put them at the same height and how her green eyes felt like a searchlight. "But, okay, the freak didn't drink your blood and you killed it before it could cause damage. Great, you did your job! So what's the problem?"

"Wh-Wh-What's the problem?! WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?!" Olivia sputtered, her face becoming redder and her eyes becoming darker. "You just said nothing could get past your 'immaculate security' without alerting you first! So, genius, why was that thing in the gardens?! If I didn't go outside when I did, then someone else would have and it would be our fau—ALUCARD!" Olivia slammed him against the pillar again, her nails burrowed into his arms as hysteria clouded her eyes. "We need to go home now! Something is wrong; he was in so much pain that I could feel it! And you know he is near unstoppable, so it must be something major!" She released him and began to scurry to the other side of the room. "You go fetch the car from valet, I'll find Sir Hellsing and—!"

"Get your ass back here before you cause a scene!" Walter's wires encircled her waist and she was trapped in his iron grip. "You need to keep a level head! You're a Lieutenant General for fuck's sake!" He paused when he saw the genuine fear in her eyes and forced his temper to simmer down. "Look, the party will be over soon and we will leave the minute Her Majesty says goodnight. Do you feel anything painful right now?"

"…..No."

"Then he is fine. Whatever his problem was can wait until we get home. But, until then, we have a job to do and you plowing through the crowd like Hell is at your heels will only embarrass Sir Hellsing and the organization."

"But, we can't afford to ignore this! We are soldiers! We can never let our guards down! You know that!"

"And you know an emotionally compromised soldier is a useless soldier!" He fired back, not failing to notice the barely detectable flinch in her expression. Heaving a sigh, Walter retraced his wires before suddenly cupping her face in his hands, his tone noticeably softer. "I'll go secure the perimeter again—I'll do it ten times if it makes you feel better. So stay here and calm down. Nothing is going to happen, I promise you."

"But—."

"Do you trust me?!" He interjected, silencing her pleas. "As your partner? As your friend? …As your brother?"

His suspicious easygoing behavior after their fight flashed through her mind again.

"With all my heart." She responded without hesitation, swallowing the seed of trepidation sprouting in her throat.

"….Thank you, Olivia." Walter breathed out, his thumbs caressing her cheeks as he stared at her with an expression that made Olivia's muscles tense. She braced herself to shove him away when his face inched forward, but he stopped himself and immediately took a step back, his bangs covering his eyes.

"I'll go check the perimeter. Stay here." He muttered before walking towards the veranda entrance, leaving Oliva to watch him go as the seed's roots constricted her rib cage.

Olivia inspected her wrist that once housed her bracelets as bile rose up her throat.

Love

Heartbreak

Jealously

These emotions reflected in Walter's eyes, but the emotion that bothered her most was the flicker of regret buried within.

'But….why? Why did you look at me like that? What do you have to regret?'

As the cloud passed and moonlight filled the room once more, Olivia wrapped herself in the sheer drapes, using them as a substitute for Alucard's arms until he awoke.

The minute they returned home, Olivia left a heavily inebriated Sir Hellsing with Walter and bounded towards her room as fast as her feet could carry her. When she kicked her door open, she was greeted with silence and an empty room.

"Alucard?!" Olivia fell to her knees and scampered towards his coffin. "Come out! I'm here!"

No response.

"Alucard, p-please, come out!" Her voice cracked as she pressed her palms flat against the lid "Please! I need to see you!"

Still no answer.

Since moving in with her, Alucard hadn't slept in his coffin once.

He didn't need to.

So…the fact that he wasn't answering her and had locked himself away in his coffin meant—!

Olivia gasped sharply when she felt warmth pressing against her palms through the wood, and she sobbed in relief as she realized Alucard had placed his hands on the other side.

He was okay.

Oh God, he was okay.

"Rest then, my love." She kissed the lid, feeling the reciprocating warmth a moment later. "I'll be waiting for you."

And wait she did—a skill she had mastered over the years.

The hours ticked by, yet Olivia never moved from her spot. It wasn't until the hallway clock struck five that Olivia crept back to Alucard's coffin and curled up on the lid, still wrapped in the drapes.

"Perhaps…this will help…" She whispered before placing her ring finger between her teeth and biting down. Blood dribbled down her chin as she drew a heart on the wood with her bleeding appendage, humming a lullaby that suddenly danced in her head.

The blood absorbed into the coffin as Olivia finished her work, and she took it as a sign that Alucard needed to rest for a while longer.

"I'll be right here." She drew her knees to her chest, failing to notice eyes dotting the coffin's edge. "When you wake up, we…we need…to….talk…" She struggled to finish her statement through her yawns, a sudden wave of exhaustion sweeping over her. "So….don't…..keep…." The words died at her lips as her eyes drooped shut and she was soon fast asleep, unaware of the eyes gawking at her and the tar-like fog seeping from the coffin's lid.

Down the hallway, Walter sat on the edge of his bed, still dressed in his suit and wide awake.

He stared at the wall with a blank expression before peering down at the scrap of cloth nestled in his hand—Olivia's collar.

Schrodinger was playing with it when he found him and the Captain in the gardens.

"What the hell is going on?!" Walter charged forward, his wires swirling around him like a cyclone. "What did you do to Olivia?!"

"The next phase of the operation has started." Schrodinger answered with a smile, swatting at the cloth like a ball of yarn. "Why so surprised, Walter? You knew this was coming."

"I didn't know you were going to attack her!" Walter darted forward, only for Schrodinger to disappear at the last second. "What did you do to her?! Answer me!"

"Not your concern~!" Schrodinger taunted, snuggled around the Captain's shoulders. "You just need to wait for orders. And, besides, this will lead to what you want." He then blew the cloth to the wind. "The ends justify the means, right?"

A harsh gust of wind stampeded through the garden, causing Walter to cover his face. When the gust passed, they were gone and the scrap was at his feet.

Bringing the scrap to his lips, Walter screwed his eyes shut, as if swallowing something large, before tossing it in a bin adjacent to his bed and lighting up a cigarette.

"Nothing will get in the way of my betrayal." He whispered, the faint tremor of his fingers causing the lighter to miss its mark. "Nothing."

Behind him, the scrap landed at the bottom of the bin—on top of a familiar blue muffler and rabbit doll.

Olivia awoke to find herself lying in a beautiful garden.

Sunlight filtered through the thick leaves above, jade green grass tickled her skin, clear water cascaded from a mighty waterfall, and flowers and animals of all species inhabited every inch of this paradise.

'What is this place?' Olivia sat up in awe, failing to notice she was naked and her curse mark was gone. 'It's like something out of a painting…'

She slowly made her way through the garden, running her fingers along the petals and listening to the gentle song of the birds above. It was a perfect utopia and as Olivia ventured further, she felt her vulnerabilities and fears fade into the breeze until she was blissfully ignorant to all the evils she had come to know.

You can stay in Paradise

Something rustled in the bushes nearby.

You can live without sorrow

"Hello?" Olivia squinted as she spied something in the distance. "Who goes there?"

You can have the peace you've always desired

The figure—a humanoid shape shrouded in tar—flashed a grin before dashing into the mass of shrubbery.

"Wait!" Olivia didn't hesitate to give chase. "Who are you?!"

There is just one condition

The garden became a blur as she pursued the figure, swatting branches out of the way and vaulting over logs, until the vivid colors melted to hues of gray and black. The sounds of life slowly died out, the grass became coarser, and a frigid chill pricked her limbs.

One simple condition

"Who are you?!" She demanded again, finally on the heels of the figure. As they tore past a thick wall of vines, Olivia tackled them and they both crashed to the ground. "Who—?!"

Gone was the paradise, replaced by an endless field of barley grains under a crimson sky. The figure, its eyes two burnt ends of a cigar, flashed another razor sharp grin before melting in her grasp.

"What the….?" Olivia's voice vaporized as the tar soaked into her right hand, and she immediately recalled everything—her family, her soldiers, the war, Martha, Julia, everything. "What the hell is this?! Where am I?!" There was only one explanation, and Olivia shot up to her feet, a white gossamer dress now clothing her body—an exact replica of the one she used to wear. "Alucard! Alucard! Where are you?! Answer me!"

Foxglove flowers sprouted from her footprints, and barely grains wilted as she flew past them. From above, Olivia could hear the cries of Alucard's familiars as they pounded against the dome sky, every blow booming like a death bell.

Taunting her.

Mocking her.

How dare they?

How dare they?!

Eyes flashing red, Olivia smashed her fist into the ground and bellowed at the top of her lungs.

"SILENCE!"

The blow rippled out and upwards, upheaving the field to rubble and cracking the sky to the verge of shattering.

All was silent.

All was still.

For the Queen had spoken, and the familiars bowed their heads in submission.

"Don't you dare mock me." Olivia growled, eyes still red and teeth bared. "Where is he? Where is Alucard? Bring him to me!" Her eyes reverted back to green as her expression softened and she held her arms out. "Please….let me see my husband…."

The sky shattered and like a wave, the familiars cascaded from above and swept over her, placing Alucard's sleeping form into her waiting arms.

What is this condition you ask?

Suddenly they were back in their room and Olivia crumbled to her knees, cradling him to her chest as tears poured down her face.

It's simple: Do not taunt the Devil.

What the hell was going on?!

That creature at the party, that garden, Alucard's pain—so excruciating that she felt it from miles away, and now her behavior in Alucard's coffin.

Oh, but it's too late now, isn't it?

"Ol..ivia?" Alucard croaked, his eyes slowly opening when something splashed against his cheeks. As his vision cleared, he realized those were her tears and he sprung up immediately.

"Olivia, why are you crying?!" His hushed voice was laced with soothing affection and panicked desperation. "What happened?! Tell me!"

Olivia just shook her head and buried her face into his neck, for even she didn't know the reason why. Sensing this, he just held her close and nuzzled his face against her hair, her familiar scent and warmth like an oasis in the desert.

But there were pressing matters to be dealt with and the clock was ticking.

"Olivia…." Alucard cradled her face in his hands, forcing her tearful eyes to meet his perturbed ones. "I have something to tell you."

"….So do I." She whispered, resting their foreheads together. "So do I…"

And all the while, neither of them noticed the pair of magenta eyes in the window listening to their every word with great interest.

By taunting the Devil, Olivia Emese Dracul, you've damned us all and paradise will never be yours.

An hour or so later, Walter stood in the kitchen, wearing his usual uniform and preparing a pot of coffee for Sir Hellsing's inevitable hangover, when the doorbell rang.

"Who the hell could that be?" Walter wiped his hands on a dish towel before trudging towards the foyer. Sir Hellsing didn't have any appointments until noon and any deliveries were to be received in the back, so he deduced it was either one of his master's tarts or the gardener had lost the shed keys again.

However when he opened the door, he found neither a lady of the night nor the gardener but Manali and Pushpa Yadav.

"Ms. Yadav? I wasn't aware that Sir Hellsing was expecting you today…and so early at that," Walter donned his 'star butler' smile and stood aside with a hand on his chest. "Please, come in. I'll notify Sir Hellsing of your arri—."

"That won't be necessary, Mr. Dornez. I'm not here to see Sir Hellsing." Manali removed her gloves and placed them in her handbag as she entered the foyer. "I am here to see you."

"Me? May I ask why?" Walter inquired, about to close the door when he noticed Pushpa was still lurking in the doorway.

Manali didn't grace him with an answer, instead smiling down at her daughter.

"Would you like to wait for me in the gardens? I won't be long, darling."

Pushpa nodded and spared a shy glance at Walter before racing away like a frightened kitten.

"I promise not to take too much of your time." Manali waltzed further into the foyer as Walter closed the door, her hands clasped together at her waist. "I'm sure you have much to do before midday. So I'll get to the point."

"Alright?" Walter's eyes narrowed at the way she raised her chin at him. "What is it?"

"At last night's banquet, I saw your exchange with Ms. Song. She appeared very distressed and I heard her mention something about a creature in the gardens. Care to explain why you didn't notify the guard?"

"There was no creature in the gardens; my partner was simply startled by a cat, Ms. Yadav," Walter fired back with ease, stuffing his hands into his pockets and raising his chin as well. "I saw no reason to cause a commotion over a mistake, that's all."

"I see." Manali nodded. "Then that brings me to my next question."

"And that would be?"

"Who were you talking to in the gardens?"

Walter's blood ran cold.

"…What?"

"I wasn't able to see who it was but I clearly heard you say 'What did you do to her?'," Manali narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "Care to explain that, Mr. Dornez?"

Elsewhere, at that exact moment, Pushpa was sketching a skill life when a blonde cat with magenta eyes curled around her legs and purred against her skin.

"Awww, aren't you cute?" She cooed, reaching down to pet it. "Wow, what pretty eyes you have, kitty."

A/N: I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but one of the reasons it took me forever for write this chapter was pacing. I wanted to have more, but then I realized I would be rushing other aspects of the story that needed to be expanded on. But, never fear! It will not take me another year to update! Ahahaha! But yes, this chapter is deep fried in symbolism, imagery, and it is my hope that down the line, when everything is revealed, you beautiful readers will look back at this chapter and be like "yoooooo! I see what you did there!"

Hehehe! Thank you all again for reading this fic and standing by me for so long! I promise not to disappoint you! And the cover art is by the beautiful mondaijo on tumblr! It is Aluvia and little Vasilissa! I love it so much!

I thank all of you again for reading this chapter! Please leave a comment! I love them all and you all so much! Look forward to the next chapter and thank you again! :D