Hellsing Fan Fiction ❯ Youth and Innocence ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Youth and Innocence

Chapter 7

“Good morning, Lady Integra,” the voice surprised Integra into consciousness. It definitely wasn't Mary.

“Walter?” she mumbled as she sat up. Her eyes tried to focus and she felt him sit on the side of the bed.

“Yes, Miss,” he gave her the glasses she needed. This was a bit more awkward than he thought it would be.

“Is Mary unwell?”

“No Miss, she's gone off to church today,” he pulled an envelope out of his waistcoat pocket, “but gave me this for you.”

“What time is... oh,” nearly noon. She unfolded the rich paper. In Mary's lovely handwriting, Integra read:

My Dear Integra,

It has been my pleasure to serve you and your family for thirteen years and the last thing I want to do is hurt you. It seems to me that you have outgrown your need for a governess however, and I am tendering my resignation in an attempt to make this transition easier for you. Through contacts made yesterday, I have found another position, but they are flexible and I am willing to remain with Hellsing as you need.

Lovingly yours,

Mary S.

"I shouldn't have said..."

"I bare the blame, Miss. We've had a difference of opinion about how hard you should be working," he shrugged his shoulders as he stood by his gut feeling. The girl needed strength not pampering.

She sat in silence, knowing that Walter's eyes missed nothing. The tears she fought back might as well have been cried, but she wouldn't allow them out. When she felt that her voice wouldn't betray her, she asked, “Could you leave please, I'll... I promise to meet you in the office in a few minutes.”

He stood, “If you'll forgive me Miss, the kitchen has requested that I make certain you eat this morning. They reported that you ate very little yesterday and we can't have you getting weak.” He braced for a tantrum.

She sat numbly, then nodded. “Yes, I need something in my stomach for the painkillers.” Integra tried a smile for Walter and received a look of respect in return. He and Alucard were all she had left, she reflected.

“Well then, I will leave you to it. Pettrus will walk you through the follow up work the director needs to do for last night's missions,” he paused. “You should also be preparing for the meeting tomorrow morning with the Knights. I have readied some material on Hellsing and the Convention of Twelve members. That should help. We'll have some new intelligence on the cult case by this evening.” In fact, he and Alucard were having trouble keeping the vampire from talking too soon. “Our report from last night is on your desk.” He walked to her breakfast tray as she pushed back her bed sheets.

“Is there any news of Reynolds?”

“Ah, yes. He is now stable and should be moved later to the local hospital where Agent Leung is as well.” He waited for the questions, but she was still caught up in her thoughts. Walter cleared his throat as he handed her a cup of tea. “Your servant suggested that you were looking for these?” He held up two large brass keys.

Her brows knitted before she understood. “My father's? You had them?” She should have thought of that. Integra didn't want to seem too excited, “Very well, put them on my dresser.” Finally she would get to read her father's books! And it was Alucard who suggested it? She sipped her tea thoughtfully. “Will you ask Mary to see me when she returns?”

“Of course, Miss.”

“Are my lessons in place for tomorrow?” She would be damned if she would be going back, not now. She was a Hellsing and she would damn well stay.

He flashed a smile, “As you requested.” The Knights would be the ones getting taken to school tomorrow, he thought. He stayed to watch her eat a bite, managing as best she could with her cast before he slipped silently out. He went first to Integra's office, making sure that she would have all the information she needed. Then he went to see Tom.

“Ah, Walter. Is she up then?” Pettrus stood, dwarfing his little desk.

“Yes, should be down in a little bit. Look, Tom, can you keep her occupied today? I don't know how long this will take, but it would be...”

“Awkward?” Both men smiled. They had been at this for many years. A young girl shouldn't witness an interrogation, that much was understood between them. “Ja old man, I'll manage. There's more than enough work today cleaning up after you.” His phone rang and he caught it on reflex, “Hellsing.” His face looked suddenly pained, “Oh, no sorry, just joking, yes this is the vicar's office, um, just hold on,” he put his palm over the handset. “Sorry Walter, we've no one on the switchboard so I had it routed up here.”

Walter took the phone reluctantly, “Hello?”

“Tim? Father Baker?” The voice both relieved and pained him.

“Yes, Ms. McMillan, right?”

“Well, yes. Ah, Emily. I'm sorry to bother you, you must be busy today of all days, but you'd said I could call for advice right? Well I found your card by my phone this morning and it was just what I needed, you know?”

“Yes?”

“I was wondering if it might be possible, well, my church is doing some renovations, so I was thinking I might pop out and see about your church? If it's not too, you know, too forward of me,” she mumbled the last bit.

“Ah, well there's that. You see, I'm leaving this post, retiring in a few days, so...” Walter moved his hand along his forehead, the gloved fingers soothing the tension somewhat. Tom's look said he'd caught the truth hidden within the lie. Walter exhaled into the silence that hung between all of them. “My dear, may I be the forward one here? You should find a nice little church near the hospital your mother is in. Visit her. Stay close to her. I don't think you need to fear a nice, normal death.”

“Oh, uh...”

“There you are, for all it is worth. Now soldier on and have a lovely life, Emily,” with that, Walter hung up the phone. He saw Pettrus make a note to cancel the line. They ordered new lines as needed for each alias and the phone service would wait about six months, then reassign the old number a new customer. He wondered if Hellsing's old personae still received calls now and then. He hoped not. “Better wait until we've got the moles out before you cancel that one, Tom. Best to be careful.” The meeting tomorrow would determine how quickly that could be done. “I wanted to thank you for taking care of Pat and Reggie.”

“Of course. I can't believe Stephan would... well, he was a wanker alright, but... but for a vampire?”

The questioning look in the large man's eyes made Walter shift his eyes away, remembering the accusations made the other night, the fight they should have had. He cleared his throat. “Integra handled herself well,” Walter wanted to stay polite, “I'm glad you went to get her. Perhaps you can take her by the scene today? Get a complete report? I doubt Reynolds will be able to tell you much. Brain damage from the looks of it, right?”

“Some. You got a bit of hurting yourself, no?” He made a mock punch to Walter's broken ribs, then tried for a friendly smile. “I hear you saw Pat this morning? Nursing home said he can come home later this week?”

Walter nodded, reaching for his pack of fags before remembering. His face showed a trace of annoyance but it wasn't about Pat, he was glad it hadn't been worse. The agent thought he was dead when he came to in the car, asked if it was heaven or hell. “Yeah, hopefully so, but he'll need a fair bit of work,” Walter could see a point soon when Integra would have an all new staff. Even old Tom would someday shove off... just not soon enough. “Well, I have some work to get back to,” he didn't want to admit how much he longed to get back downstairs. Of course, Tom didn't need to know and Alucard already did. He hid his smile as he walked slowly out, breaking into a trot only once he was down the dungeon stairs.

It felt like there was no getting away from Mr. Pettrus. They'd made a million phone calls, visited hospitals and the two incident scenes. After identifying Draper's body at the forensic laboratory, Integra made a big show of being tired and needing her rest. Finally he relented and took her back to the mansion for dinner. Once he left the dining room, she snuck back into her own office to get to the thing that had been on her mind all day, her father's books. She crossed the floor to her grandfather's picture. With her hands shaking slightly with excitement, she pushed the frame from the wall. The small space between was plenty wide enough for her hand, but she couldn't quite see to put the key in, so she tried to push the painting just a touch farther back, resulting in a dangerous tilting. Integra pulled her arm back out and tried to decide if she could take the large portrait down with just one hand. She paced for a moment before coming to a decision. “Alucard?” She felt a right fool to be calling his name out loud when she was by herself, but she soon felt his presence.

“My Master? What do you need?” He was a bit miffed to be pulled away from his sport and his annoyance grew as he saw what she required him for.

Integra saw his look, but she also noted the blood stains on his clothing and face, “Have you forgotten your punishment?”

His lip curled up as he considered his response. Licking a smear from his cheek, he said in an icy tone, “The prohibition is against consuming, not shedding blood Master.” Also he interpreted the rule to apply only to human blood. Vampire blood wasn't nourishing in any real sense, but it satisfied in its own way and he wasn't prepared to give that up.

“Oh... um, are you getting good information then?”

“We will have a report for you shortly, my Master,” he smiled, his eyes hidden by his unruly hair as he half bowed to her. There was little that he hadn't already picked up from consuming the soul of the weak female vampire, but he kept that secret as he and Walter worked. Where the information was duplicated, it reaffirmed the validity and where it was contradicted, he suggested further interrogation.

“Oh,” she looked back to the portrait, “will you help me move this?”

“No.”

“No?” Integra was stunned, wasn't he supposed to do what she asked?

“You would do better to prepare for your meeting tomorrow,” he pointed at the documents Walter had left on her desk. He was physically and spiritually bound to obey her, but his definition of obedience was broad. He was serving her just fine in the dungeons, thank you very much. He watched in amusement as she stalked past him to her desk. Without even looking at the reports in question, Integra picked up a letter opener and strode back to the painting. Keeping eye contact with her servant, she watched his face as she slashed her grandfather's face and peeled back the fabric to reveal the small family safe. He chuckled, “You're just like your father.”

She cocked an eyebrow at him while she fumbling with her keys, “Is that a compliment?” Her face fell slightly as Alucard disappeared, his voice hanging in the air, “No.”

Integra grumbled to herself as she worked the keys and within a few minutes she had her father's journals all laid out on the desk. As much as she wanted to start reading them right away, she considered Alucard's words.