Hellsing Fan Fiction ❯ Old and New ❯ Chapter 17 - Report ( Chapter 17 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Disclaimer: The only thing I own here is Adrian and my crazy ideas.

Chapter 17 - Report

Pip was seeing to Seras and Adrian had vanished somewhere on his own. So it was Alucard who gave Integra the report. She listened calmly and quietly while he went over the details. At the end he pulled something from his pocket. "I acquired this from the Ringleader." He tossed a yellow notepad onto the desk in front of her.

Integra pulled it toward her and flipped through it. It was filled with sets of numbers. She handed it to Walter. "See what the Investigations team can make of this." She said.

"Right away." Walter gave Integra a half-bow and left.

Integra turned back to Alucard. "Anything else?" She asked.

"That was all." Alucard said, he turned to leave.

Integra rose from her chair. "I am going for a walk then." She said.

Alucard turned his head back to her. She had given no indication that he should come with her. But he knew that it was expected that he do so. So instead of slipping through the walls and floors down to the solace of his own chambers, he held the office door open for her and escorted her to the garden.

***

Seras opened her eyes slowly. Her head ached. When was the last time she had even had a headache? She sat up slowly, realizing that she lay in her coffin, with the top open. She looked around, confused.

"How are you feeling?" Pip asked from a corner of the room.

"Fine, I think." She remembered bits and flashes of the mission. She had been angry. Her being angry was never a good thing. "What are you doing in my room?" She asked.

"I brought you here, after you passed out." He walked up to her.

"Oh." Seras said as if his answer made sense to her. She shakily stepped out of her coffin. Pip supported her by placing a hand under her elbow. Once she got to her feet she stepped away from him, testing her balance. She felt drained, and hungry. She spotted a packet of blood sitting in ice on her table. She bit her lip and looked back at Pip. She didn't feel entirely comfortable eating in front of him.

Pip strode over to the table, took the packet out of the ice and placed it into her hands. Then he placed both hands on her shoulders and steered her to the table and it's one chair. She was so surprised by this, she didn't protest, but sat down. He sat on the edge of the table and watched her.

"You're going to watch me?" She asked, somewhat indignant.

"Yes. I'm going to watch you, to make sure you drink that before hunger clouds your judgement and you start thinking that I would make a good snack." It had been a joke, but he wasn't smiling. Gods, she looked pale. Her face looked washed out and her hair had lost its luster. The blood should fix that, he hoped. If it wasn't enough, he would give up some of his own blood. He hated seeing her like this, meek and tired, not protesting as he helped her like she always did.

The thought of her fangs on his neck again sent a pleasant shiver through him. He reined that feeling in tightly, lest it show. It was odd though, he would have never pegged himself as the type who would enjoy something like that. Perhaps it was just because it was her doing it. "Well?" He asked.

"Okay, okay." She grumbled at him. She tore the packet open and began drinking.

***

Integra breathed deeply once they had entered the garden. Her crimson shadow followed her silently while she enjoyed the simple pleasure of just being outdoors. She spent so much money on landscapers each year and she hardly ever went here. She inspected the white rosebush that dominated the garden. Every flower was perfectly pruned; hardly a petal seemed out of place. Each one was of the purest white and seemed to shine in the dark.

A white gloved hand reached over her and snapped the stem of a particularly large rose. She turned to face Alucard as he twirled the flower's stem between his fingers. Suddenly, he plucked the rose into her hair, tucking the stem behind her ear. She pulled it out of her hair quickly, scratching her ear with the thorns. She practically threw it back at him, an angry expression on her face, challenging.

A soft chuckle rumbled from deep inside him and she saw the glint of fangs. She crossed her arms over her chest. Her icy gaze hardened to below zero temperatures. He ran the rose slowly over her nose and settled the petals on her lips. Integra's stare never wavered and the icy anger never cracked or melted.

It was the same old battle of wills, done this time from a different angle. He would always test the boundaries of the seals placed around him, looking for that one crack that would prove his dominance and set him free. She knew that he would use any tactic available to him. But it was all for naught, for she would die before she gave in to him.

Alucard never actually expected to win. Or, at least, he didn't expect to yet. But the battles with this cold fire in a woman's disguise pleased him greatly. Her anger showed that spine, that determination of hers most effectively. She was unlike her ancestors, much stronger. If he actually believed in reincarnation, he would have entertained the notion that she was the original Van Helsing in a different form. But no, his battles with Integra were much more delightful than the battles from long ago.

And some day, preferably in the near future, she would take his blood and they could play like this for an eternity.

***

Seras sighed as she finished the blood packet. She felt her energy return to her in a quick flood. Dawn was only a short time away, but she didn't think she would be able to sleep. She looked up at Pip and her eyes clouded. "I'm sorry." She said. "I apologize for what I did earlier. Though an apology is not enough."

So she did remember. "You don't have to apologize." Pip said.

"No. You could have been hurt." She said, looking at him fiercely. She hugged herself tightly. "I know I'm not human anymore, and never will be. But that doesn't mean I can act like a monster!" She turned her face away from him.

She was about to cry; he could see the tears welling up in her eyes. This pained look on her face, he didn't want to see it. The Seras he wanted to see was loud, whiny, annoyingly strong, and had a very fierce temper. "I don't think you're a monster!" He said, more loudly than he intended. He ran a hand through his hair, messing up the top part of his braid a little.

She looked back up at him, taking in everything about him. The long hair kept in a tight braid that ran down his back, or that he wrapped around his neck when they were on a mission. The patch over his left eye that never ceased to intrigue her. His height, while not rivaling her master's, was pretty formidable. His broad shoulders and thin waist. He was angry with her, and he had every right to be. She looked away again.

Pip pushed himself off the table. He pulled Seras chair around to face him. He placed his hands on the armrests, leaning very close to her. She continued to look away. "Stop acting like such a wimp. I'm fine. And if I wasn't, I wouldn't blame you for it." His expression was angry. He had to get her out of this angsty mood. He grinned. "Besides, you couldn't hurt me if you tried."

Her head snapped up, her eyes flashed. She opened her mouth to say something scathing, but he covered it with his own. Because he had caught her off guard he was able to kiss her deeply without any resistance. When she felt his tongue in her mouth she pulled away from him, hitting her head on the back of the chair. Her eyes were wide with shock. She had never been kissed like that before.

Pip watched her patiently, not moving from his position over her. He watched as she brought her fingers to her lips, but didn't actually touch them. He watched her pink tongue dart out and lick her lips. Then she turned her attention back to him. Slowly, she brought her arms up and wound them around his neck. Her eyes fluttered closed as she kissed him softly.

Nervousness was eating a hole through her stomach the size of her fist. Her whole insides felt weird, as if her heart was beating quickly, which of course it wasn't. There really wasn't a beating sensation, but just the fluttery, queasy sensation that goes with it. She opened her mouth willingly to his advances, and clumsily returned the deep kiss.

After an eternity, Pip reluctantly broke away from her. He had been trying to make a point, and it had turned into something else. Now he couldn't remember what his point was. He kissed her lightly one last time before straightening up. "I, uh, I'd better get going, dawn is almost here." He said, somewhat huskily. He turned away from her quickly, praying that she hadn't noticed his arousal.

Seras stood somewhat shakily and showed him to the door. After he was gone she rested her head on the door and waited for her nerves to calm. She waited until she heard his footsteps fade away before opening her door and heading downstairs.

***

Alucard bared his fangs and snarled at the spot on the horizon that was slowly getting lighter. Soon the cool light of the moon would be replaced by the harsh brilliance of the morning sun. Oh, how he hated it! He could survive the sun's searing light; even walk around untouched by it. But he loathed being out in all that brightness, with comforting shadows few and far between.

He turned away from Integra and sank into the ground, heading for his chambers. Seras was there when he arrived. She looked nervous about something. "Something troubling you, Police Girl?"

"Can vampires have sex?" She asked bluntly, and was immediately horrified with herself. She hadn't meant to blurt it out like that. She didn't even know where things were going to go with her and Pip. Then she rationalized that she had to find this out eventually, and she couldn't take back the way she had phrased her question.

Alucard's left eyebrow twitched slightly, as if it wanted to shoot up high onto his forehead. He had had a conversation that had started like this before. Smoothly, without it looking intentional, he strode around his table, putting it between him and Seras. He grinned at her in a teasing manner, deciding that this was the best way to approach this. "Why do you ask?"

Seras shifted uncomfortably. This had been a bad idea. But where else was she supposed to learn this from?

***

Integra sagged against hedge as soon as Alucard left. She exhaled slowly, gathering her scattered nerves. His pull on her was getting stronger. She was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. And it would burn her away entirely. It took her only a few seconds to collect herself. Then she made her way back to her office.

Adrian was there when she arrived. He was studying the painting of her father that dominated the office. Integra's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing in my office?" She asked coolly.

He turned to her, perfectly calm. "Investigations finished with the notebook." He held it up.

Integra sat behind her desk and folded her hands together. "In the future, you will wait OUTSIDE of my office for me. Am I making myself clear?"

"Perfectly." Adrian said.

"Good. Now about the notebook…"

Adrian flipped through it. "From what Investigations can tell, it's filled with dates and map coordinates. They correlate with prior knowledge on the locations of FREAK activity. The latest date marked here is dated tomorrow."

Integra leaned forward over her desk, engrossed by what he was saying. "And the location has been confirmed?"

Adrian smiled. "Yes, it has. There is a strong possibility that it is a trap, but I believe it is worth looking into."

Integra smiled, it was almost evil in appearance. "If they are expecting us, they will get more than they bargained for."

Author's Note: I was contemplating making a lemon for this story, but I don't know if anyone would be interested in reading it. It would be the first time I actually put a lemon up somewhere. Plus I wouldn't be able to put it up on ff.net. I would have to go to MediaMiner.org or AdultFanfiction.net. Tell me what you think about this, please.