Hellsing Fan Fiction ❯ Zorra ❯ Chapter 1

I do not own Hellsing, Astra is my creation. This is not my first Hellsing Fic. All criticism is welcome, but remember flames mean a very well cooked dinner. On with the story!!!!

There was something behind her, but she didn't turn around. She knew what it was. Her blood was boiling. How was she supposed to get out alive?

Then she heard footsteps, it was getting closer. She broke into a run. It was still gaining. She used every bit of energy she had left but it wasn't enough. The thing had wrapped its arms around her waist, pulling her back.

She screamed but then felt a cold handclasp over her mouth. Then she felt a cool barrel against her neck. The gun fired.

Astra sat upright in a cold sweat. Her breathing was both rapid and shallow. It took a moment for her to remember where she was. Finally her eyes adjusted to the dark and she began to calm down. That was the second time she'd had the dream this week. It was starting to scare her. What if it meant something?

Stop it. She thought. You're just making yourself paranoid. That's what he'd want.

Sighing, nineteen year old Astra looked at her clock. It was two a.m. She groaned and got out of bed. From her past experiences, she knew that she wouldn't fall asleep after having that dream.

As she made her way out of her room, she began to wander the mansion. She'd only lived there six months, but was starting to know it well from her nightly explorations. Making her way to the kitchen, she decided to make herself some tea. As she poured the milk, she felt a presence behind her.

"This is the second time you've been out of bed this week," a cool, almost chilling voice said. "Humans need their rest."

"Shut up monster," Astra growled at the man who walked through a black portal behind her.

"Tisk, tisk, you are only human Astra," the creature walked behind her and leaned against the counter, facing her.

"Go haunt someone else." She told him, in no mood for his antics.

"And let you sit down here alone? No my dear Astra I'd never do that."

"Go away."

She walked out of the kitchen, leaving the creature leaning on the counter. His blood red eyes gleamed mischievously underneath his wide brimmed hat. Then he smiled, a cold, undead smile, on that promised a lot of headaches for Astra.

Astra pushed her long blond hair back behind her ears as she made her way back to her bedroom. A black portal appeared at the side of the hallway, but she didn't se it, and kept walking. The creature stepped out of the portal and into the hallway. He looked at her and smiled. The creature walked in the shadows, following Astra.

For a second, she felt the presence of someone behind her and turned around. There was no one there. Turning back around she sighed,

"I must be losing my mind," she said to herself as she continued down the hallway.

The creature smiled and stepped out of the shadows, again following Astra. He quietly mad his way down the hall, making sure to walk in the shadows cast by the numerous statues of different philosophers.

All of the statues seemed to stare at her. She knew she was being paranoid, but she couldn't help it. They all looked so real. Each looked as if it would come alive any moment and that scared her.

Suddenly something caught her eye and she whirled around, staring at the statue. There was nothing there. For a moment she thought its eyes were glowing bright red. It was just her imagination. Sighing, she turned around and began walking back to her room.

The sound of glass shattering broke the eerie silence of the hallway. Astra turned and bolted in the direction the sound came from. She didn't know what to expect. The mansion was a high security place with multiple armed guards patrolling at night and dozens more asleep not far from there.

Breathing hard, she leaped up the stairs and hurried to her boss's study. As she pulled open the door, a chill ran down her spine. Something wasn't right. There was prescience inside and she wasn't completely sure that it was human. The sight that met her eyes was something that would make even a coroner cringe.

Scattered about the study were three corpses, all of which were mangled and naked. Body parts were all over the room and blood soaked the carpet. Even she, one who had been exposed to many scenes, cringed.

Then she saw a piece of paper held to the wall by a bloody knife, There was no writing on it, but something that made her blood boil. Drawn in blood, was a fox head in a circle with a fingerprint in blood in the middle. It was the sign of Zorra.

Behind her she could hear a group of people running. Then she heard them come to a stop behind her.

'' Dear Lord," one whispered as he stepped even with her.

"I suggest that you move Sir Hellsing from this place immediately." she told the man. "And Walter, be ready to fight."

With that she turned and strode off to her room. She didn't notice the creature watching her as she made her way down the stairs and up the hallway. His blood red eyes glowed from a portal on the ceiling as he watched the young woman head back to her room He wasn't concerned with what happened in the study. Sure, he cared about the safety of his master, but he knew she was safe with all of the guards watching over her, even if they were human.

Right now Astra held his attention. The young woman had come to the Hellsing Organization about six months ago. She was American and so was the agency she had come from. The agency was much of a mystery, as was Astra for that matter. He knew almost nothing about her, and the stuff he did learn was from watching her train and her temperate.

Something about her made him draw to her. She was different from the others at the organization. For one thing, she didn't cringe when she saw bodies of vampires and ghouls, no matter how mutilated they were. Her eyes also bore the expression of someone who was a lot older than their time. Her eyes were often cold and unfeeling, but when he saw the way she acted and the way she moved, she seemed almost defensive. Like she was waiting for the blow to fall.

All of this seemed to trigger something inside the 500-year-old vampire. He didn't know why, but he was drawn to her. For some reason, he felt that they were very similar, though he didn't know why. Also, sometimes he felt, may he dare think it, an ache when she wasn't near. Sort of a longing.

Most of the time he ignored it, but couldn't help sneaking into his master's office and checking Astra's file. Each time he did, he felt worried, a little afraid. And each time, he felt relief when he saw that she was staying in London, or that she hadn't been injured during a mission.

Alucard looked at the blond woman one last time before closing the portal outside her bedroom.

Astra stood up on the top of the Hellsing Mansion as the sun rose. Sir Integra Hellsing had refused to leave, saying that this was her home. In Astra's opinion, she was foolish. Though she was four years Integra's junior, she knew a lot more than the young Hellsing could ever imagine.

The sky around her was dark, but the horizon was becoming pinkish. Astra watched as the pink hues turned reddish and then the sun peaked out form the horizon. Slowly, it began to be more visible. After what seemed like house, the sun was peeking over the trees, and the morning dew sparkled on the grass below.

"Miss Astra, Sir Integra requests you presence." Walter said from behind her.

Astra turned and followed the elderly butler toward the young Hellsing's office. As they made their way through the many corridors and down the different flights of stairs, she realized something. They were headed sown to the dungeon, where the vampires' rooms were. Alucard must want Integra to be safe.

Walter opened the door to a dark room and stepped out of the way, allowing Astra to enter. When she stepped inside, she heard the door close quietly behind her and felt a chill run down her spine. Then she spotted a group of flickering lights and she made her way towards them. Soon her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she stopped before running into Sir Integra's desk.

The candles illuminated the features of a young woman with pale skin, blue eyes, and long blond hair. She wore a suit complete with a blue tie. As the woman looked at her, her ice blue eyes seemed to stare into Astra's soul.

"You were the first to reach my study this morning," the cool voice of Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing said.

"And?" Astra replied, just as coolly.

"Did you see anything that my be of importance? Did you see Zorra?"

"Zorra is dead. She died six months ago in an alley in Los Angeles."

"I haven't heard anything of the sort. Besides, it would be all over the news."

"Zorra is dead." With that Astra turned and put her hand on the doorknob.

"We are not finished here Astra." Sir Integra's voice was loud and cold.

"Yes we are." Astra opened the door and closed it behind her.

I can't believe this, Astra thought as she made where way to Sir Integra's study. Why is he doing this? James wouldn't have so it must be him. But why? He let me go, well not exactly. He probably wants me back in the organization. I can't, I won't. He can do whatever he wants; I'm never going back.

Never, not after... Well can just take it and shove it. I won't go back and I won't let him screw with my life. Life in that organization was a living hell and I refuse to go back to it.

With that Astra opened the doors of the study. The scent of rotting corpses filled the hall, and from where Alucard was, he couldn't help but long for blood. The smell of rotting flesh was the equivalent of the smell of roses to him. He loved the smell. If only he could get human blood...

Stop. Alucard thought to himself. You don't drink blood unless Sir Integra tells you to. I am here to survey the study and nothing more. But then, why is Astra here? She isn't part of the detection unit. Plus, why was she s deep in thought? I couldn't read her mind but I could tell there was something wrong. I wonder what.

A large black portal appeared in front of the study and the vampire clad in red stepped out. As the portal closed behind him, he walked into his master's study. He saw Astra standing next to the desk and he smirked.

"What are you doing here monster?" Astra asked him, without turning around.

"You always have to spoil my fun." Alucard pouted, walking up behind the petit blond.

"I asked you what you are doing here."

"Trying to find out who did this to my master's study. It is a terrible inconvenience for her."

"Either shut up and get out or tell the truth," Astra snapped, not in the mood for the vampire's antics.

"The same reason you are here."

"I doubt that highly monster."

Astra moved towards the desk in the middle of the room. It looked normal, as if nothing on it had been touched. Then, a gold picture frame caught her eye. Leaning in to inspect it, she almost gasped. It was a picture of Jess and Lily, two orphans she used to visit. She took a step backwards.

Alucard noticed Astra went extremely pale and walked quickly over to her. He saw the picture and then looked at Astra, trying desperately to read her thoughts. Her mind was clouded but he could sense both fear and sadness.

"Do you know who they are?" he asked as he picked up the picture.

"No," se replied quickly before turning away.

Instead of looking at the picture she looked at the blood pattern on the ground. There were what looked like drag marks near the window and blood spatter on some of the books. That suggested that one of the people had been alive during the staging. He had probably been alive when the thing put the bodies there. He had known who it was and the thing couldn't have that.

Astra sat cross-legged on her bed, looking at some pictures of crime scenes, but couldn't concentrate. Vampires weren't important to her now, at least not after seeing the picture.

Lily and Jess were dead; they had been for six months. She didn't know how he knew about them, but really didn't want to. Their deaths had been an act of violence aimed at her and they never should have gotten hurt.

Darkness was all around her, and the night was cool. Her damp hair clung to the back of her neck. Astra walked down a sidewalk on one of the many side streets in L.A. Then she came to a large black boarding house. Many of the windows were broken and had been boarded up. The paint was peeling and the house presented the impression of not been taken care of in a while.

Astra made her way up the front landing and opened the door. A scream pierced the cool air and her heart stopped. She bolted up the stairs and into the girls' bedroom, where she let out a gasp.

Astra sat bolt upright. She was drenched in sweat and breathing hard. A few seconds later, her breathing finally returned to normal. A new chill swept over her. There were two arms around her, holding her in a comforting embrace. She froze.

"Relax Astra," Alucard whispered in her ear. "Go back to sleep, you just had a nightmare."

Astra pulled herself from the embrace and stared at the vampire. He sat on her bed, leaning against the headboard. His red eyes sparkled beneath his pale yellow glasses.

"What are you doing in my room?" She asked, infuriated.

What did he think he was doing coming into her room while she slept? It was insane. Her room was off limits to the vampire and he knew that. Her blood boiled at the thought of him being in there with her knocked out, even though she was a light sleeper. She didn't trust him not to try and drink her blood.

"Why drink your blood while I can get some whenever I want?" Alucard questioned the young woman who stood next to the bed.

He knew that he wasn't supposed to be there. In face, Sire Integra had banned him from this wing of the house when Astra moved in, but now. This time he knew he had to be here. He'd sensed fear, panic, something was wrong. When he'd arrived, he'd found her in the midst of a nightmare. The only reason he'd gotten on the bed was to comfort her.

Why did I comfort her though? Alucard asked himself as Astra's ice blue eyes stared at him.

"Get out of my room." Astra ordered him in an icy tone.

Alucard sighed, got up form the bed, and disappeared into the wall.

Her anger was still on the rise. Why had that monster come into her room? She'd noticed over the past few months that he'd been taking a certain liking to her. He had been bothering her a lot more than anyone else. Walter had remarked to her that it was strange. Normally Alucard stayed near Sir Integra.

She sighed and got back onto the bed. Leaning toward the end of the bed she grabbed the photos that she had been looking at earlier and started to pour over them again, absorbing herself in her work.

Suddenly, she heard the window shattering. Astra looked up. There was glass all over her floor. A cool wind blew through the broken window. Her first instinct was to grab the gun she kept under the drawer of her nightstand. She lightly gripped the silver handgun and quietly got off the bed.

She crept toward the window and stood next to it, her back against the wall. Then she slowly peered out the window. The echo of gunshots filled the air. Astra hit the floor and cut her hand on some broken glass. Bullets were flying everywhere and she stayed low. Then, just as suddenly as they had started, the rain of bullets stopped.

A package of something was thrown into the window. When it hit the ground, it sent shards of glass everywhere. One piece cut her cheek. She could feel the cool blood drip down her face.

Quietly and quickly, she crawled over to the package. It was wrapped in brown packing paper and had some twine around it. As she carefully reached out for it, she realized the glass had shredded the skin on her hands.

Cursing under her breath, she pulled a pair of rubber gloves out of her pocket and put them on. Astra then gently, picked up the package and stood up.

Her bedroom door burst open and a group of armed men stood there, guns in hand. Their eyes took in the room and then Astra.

She glanced down at herself and sighed. Her blue t-shirt was covered with glass and had a few tears in it, her black pants were torn form the glass and her skin was cut and bloody. The gloves on her hands were bloody on the inside and she knew she was going to have a time trying to take them off.

"You're a little late gentleman," she told them as she placed the package on her bed.

"I wouldn't touch that," Walter's voice was loud and clear as he entered the room.

"What do I have to lose?" Astra asked him as she pulled a letter opener from the drawer of her nightstand.

Carefully, Astra cut the rope and pulled it away from the package. The brown paper was secured by tape and she slipped the letter opener underneath the paper and carefully tore it open. She pulled the paper off the package and then put it on the bed. The "package" had been a cardboard box with a brick inside. There was a piece of paper also in it.

Astra's blood boiled when she saw what was on the paper. The sign of Zorra. Walter had made his way over to her and saw the paper. Then he looked at Astra.

"Do you know Zorra?" He asked her.

"I did, a long time ago." Astra replied before pulling off her gloves and cringing as she saw her hands.

They were cut and bloody. Though some had clotted, a few were still bleeding. Glancing at the gloves, she noticed they had blood inside. She dropped the gloves in a biohazard can next to her desk.

Sighing, she headed for the door and into the dark hallway, trying to keep him out of her mind.

A few weeks later, Astra sat on a tree limb outside her window. The sun was setting and she knew it maybe her last chance to watch it. As she searched her memory, she realized that this might be the first time she had truly watched a sunset. Her entire life had been spent in the shadows and now a sunset fascinated her. She watched it until the entire sky became dark and the stars shone brightly above her head.

Astra sighed and quietly made her way down the tree. Tonight she was going to find him and kill him. Over the last few weeks the sign of Zorra had appeared numerous times and she was starting to get sick of if. He called her, now she would come. If he wanted to fight her, let him. She'll be standing over his body by sunrise.

As she vaulted the perimeter fence, she took one last look at the place she had called home. Then, she disappeared into the fog.

Where is she? Alucard thought furiously. For the past hour he'd been trying to find Astra. She wasn't in her room or on the grounds. He was getting worried. So worried in fact, that he had thought about asking Sir Integra where she was.

Just then, Walter opened the door of Alucard's chamber.

"Sir Integra would like to speak with you," he said in his cool and unfeeling voice.

Alucard got up and disappeared through a portal that appeared on the all. He then appeared behind Sit Integra as she was walking down one of the long corridors in the mansion. The vampire quickly matched stride with his master.

"You wished to see me?" He asked.

"Yes, it has come to my attention that Astra has disappeared. Do you have any Idea where she is?" Sir Integra questioned, as if Alucard was all knowing.

At that moment, Alucard's heart stopped, or at least as much as it could for a vampire. If Sir Integra didn't know where Astra was then something was really wrong.

Sir Integra pushed open the door to her office. The moonlight illuminated a figure sitting in her chair. The lights went on and the figure looked at them. It was a human, brown hair, brown eyes, a James Bond look alike.

"It's about time," he said impatiently. "I was starting to think that this place was abandoned."

"Who are you?" Sir Integra's voice was shaking with rage.

"James." The man got up and bowed. "I am here for Astra."

"She's disappeared." Sir Hellsing told him as she approached him.

"No," James suddenly went pale. "We need to go after her."

"What are you talking about?"

"I can't explain I-"

Alucard gripped James tightly by the throat. He needs to know what he meant.

"Answer her." Alucard's voice sent chills down James's back.

Then James pulled himself from Alucard's grip and stood there, trying to catch his breath. Finally he looked at Sir Hellsing.

"You've probably heard of Zorra, well take a guess who Astra is."

"That's impossible," Sir Integra said, "She's been here while all of the incidents have occurred."

"She didn't do those. They were only to bring her out. Six months ago, I got her to be brought into this organization, to get her away from the killings. After two orphans that she visited were killed, she realized that is just a vicious cycle. I found her in an alley in L.A. She was covered in blood and was as pale as a ghost."

"Who would want to draw her out?"

"Jack Barstow. He is the one who pulls the strings for the Assassin Crisis. It's a huge corporation that basically is hitmen for hire. Astra used to part of it, she'd been an orphan and was a perfect candidate. Over the years, I watched her grow and become stronger. She was the perfect assassin, as clever as a fox, hence the nickname Zorra. One day the orphans she visited sometimes were killed as an act of revenge against her. It was a punk gang that really didn't know what they were doing.

She was the one that found the bodies. No one know what happened after that but as I said, she was found bloody and pale in an alley."

"You never said why this Jack Barstow," Sir Integra sat down in her chair, "wants Astra out of the shadows."

"There are many reasons, but there are two main ones. She knows about the operation and Barstow is afraid she'll go to the Feds. The other reason is-"

"She was raped." Alucard said from his corner.

"Yes, and I'm not going to ask how you know that. Barstow raped Astra a lot, was supposed to be part of the training, getting assassins away from the carnal pleasure of life. Well Barstow, the bastard, took a liking to her. Now, Astra has a vengeance against him. If she kills him, she may stop him from doing it to other women but she'll go to jail. We need to get moving."

Alucard quickly followed James, hoping that they wouldn't be too late.

Astra quietly crept past the security guards outside the Assassin Crisis headquarters. Her brown boots made no tracks in the wet leaves. She was very thankful for the rain last night, making the fallen leaves damp, and less likely to make noise. The perimeter guards didn't notice her as she quietly slipped into one of the open windows on the east side of the compound.

She lightly touched down on the polished tile floor. The hallway was dark and she sighed in relief. Quickly, and quietly she made her way down the hall, keeping an eye out for cameras. Even though the place hadn't changed much, she was still aware. Then, she saw it. A blinking light.

Shit Astra thought as she ran away from the light. Now they will know I'm here.

A flashing red light illuminated the hallway and a siren pierced the air. She grimaced; the one thing she did not want was a confrontation. She stopped when three figures came into view in front of her.

"Zorra," the first one, a man, said quietly. "Go!"

Astra bolted down the corridor, toward Barstow's room. To her joy, she met no one. The men she met earlier must have told everyone to leave her alone. Sometimes being a legendary assassin comes in handy.

Red lights pierced the night as James, Alucard, and Walter made their way past the front guards. A siren echoed through the compound and all of the guards stayed at their post.

"Why aren't they moving?" Walter asked James, as they slipped inside.

"They must know it's Zorra. No one in their right mind here will mess with her." James replied as he led them down the hallway.

Alucard followed but was deep in thought.

Astra.... I should have known, but still, something doesn't fit. The look in your eyes, that is far more powerful than just killing a normal person. But yet, what happened to you could explain it... Poor girl... If I'd only know...

A gunshot rang out thought he halls. It was followed by a scream. It was Sir Integra!

Astra heard the gunshot and kicked open the door of Barstow's office. Inside she saw Sir Integra lying slumped down on the floor. Blood was pooling around her. She knelt down to check for a pulse. The young Hellsing was still alive, but barely. Then, she heard the sound of a gun being cocked and she didn't bother to look up.

"Stand up Zorra." The cold voice of Jack Barstow rang throughout the room.

"Why am I not surprised you dragged her into this," Astra whispered, gently strapping some cloth onto the wound.

"I told you to get up!"

Astra slowly stood up and faced the revolver. With a swift kick, the revolver was on the other side of the room and Jack Barstow had just gone sheet white.

Barstow was man in his late forties, short and plump. He was balding, with gray mixed into his brown hair. Beads of sweat were pouring down his face.

"What, Barstow, afraid?" Astra's voice was like daggers. "You didn't seem that afraid a few seconds, when you had your revolver."

"Get out of here Zorra," his threat was weakened by his trembling voice. "Or I'll call the guards."

"They won't come. Don't waist your energy. It seems that you need all of it, with what you do to those girls."

With that, Barstow leapt toward his desk. Astra tried to stop him but was too late. Barstow's chubby little index finger was wrapped around the trigger of a small pistol. She froze. A smile crossed his face as he saw that. As the door burst open being them, he fired.

Astra gasped in pain and clutched her shoulder. The warm blood dripped down her arm. Then she noticed Barstow slip into a passage behind the bookcase. She managed to squeeze through before the door closed.

The passage was dark as she followed the wall. Her hand then felt the wall stop. Suddenly, the passage opened up to a large stone chamber, lighted by the torches along the wall. Barstow stood into he middle. A smirk crossed his face.

"Come and get me." His voice bounded off the walls.

Suddenly, the floor underneath her feed began to shake. Walls began to form from the floor. It was a maze and knowing Barstow, it was probably booby-trapped.

Grimacing, she pulled her gun out of her hip holster and walked into the maze, knowing all too well that she was stepping into a trap.

"We have to find them." James said after they saw the bookcase close.

Walter had knelt down to check Sir Integra and Alucard was inspecting ht bookcase.

He had to find her. The smell of her blood was over powering his senses. She was hurt and probably bleeding badly. Her scent was behind the bookcase, and he couldn't find a way to open it. He was almost to the point of ripping the bookcase off the wall.

Astra, please, don't die. Alucard thought as he franticly searched the bookcase.

Astra quietly crept through the maze. She'd come across the traps and was now bruised and bleeding from a lot of different places. Vampire hunting didn't keep her in shape and she was starting to feel it.

Now her breathing was hard and her gun was drawn. Blood from her shoulder slowly dripped down her arm but she ignored it. Her entire body ached and she could barely stand.

Finally, she came to the center, where Barstow was. As soon as he saw her he want pale, but then he noticed all of her injuries and a smirk came over his pudgy face. Astra glared at him as she struggled to slow her breathing.

Slowly, she raised her gun, pointing it directly at Barstow's hearts. Instead of going pale, he just laughed. Suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She looked down and then at Barstow. He was holding a smoking revolver.

Astra dropped to her knees and gripped her stomach. The whole world was going blurry. Barstow's laughter rang in her ears. Slowly, she raised her gun and fired just before the darkness surrounded her and she fell to the ground.

Alucard burst out of the tunnel before James. The walls of the maze were going back into the ground. Two figures were in the center. One lay motionless, while the other was sitting up, clutching his shoulder.

Alucard hurried over to Astra while James went over to Barstow and gripped his shoulder.

"What did you do to her?" James's voice was icy.

"The bitch is dead," Barstow began laughing like a maniac.

Alucard looked down at Astra. He could feel a faint heartbeat. She was alive, but just barely. The vampire clad in red gently cradled the young woman in his arms.

Slowly, Astra opened her eyes. Her eyes held something he'd never seen before, compassion.

"Alucard," her voice was shaky. "I'm glad you're here."

"Be quiet. You need to save your strength." Alucard chided gently.

"I'm sorry." Tears began to form in Astra's eyes. "I never got to tell you this, but.... I love you."

Her breathing was labored now, shallow and slow. Alucard gently pulled her towards his chest.

"I love you too." He whispered in her ear. "We will be together forever. I promise."

Alucard bit down into Astra's neck, drinking her blood.

Astra stood on the roof of the Hellsing Mansion, watching the sunset. It hurt her eyes, but she still wanted to watch it. Its beauty was something she didn't want to miss.

Two arms encircled her waist. She smiled. He gently nibbled on her ear and she chuckled, turning around and looking up into his blood red eyes. Alucard smiled down at the young vampire and leaned down to kiss her.

Astra smiled up at him as they pulled apart. Her blood red eyes sparkled as she looked into his eyes.

"It is time to get to work." Alucard told her as he led her toward the stairs.

"Alright," she followed him inside.

They made their way down the stairwell. Alucard pulled her down towards the basement and she began to suspect his motives. Then he opened the door to their room and stepped aside to let her in, a fanged smile on his face.

Astra's jaw dropped. There were candles on the dresser and there was a romantic type glow. She turned as Alucard closed the door. When he turned he caught her in an embrace. He then came down for a passionate, yet gentle kiss. Astra pulled back a little, but Alucard didn't let her break the kiss.

Finally, out of breath, they pulled away from each other. They looked deeply into each other's eyes. Then Astra looked away. Alucard gently turned her head to face him.

"I don't think I want to do this," Astra told him, avoiding his gaze.

"We don't have to." Alucard replied gently sitting her down on the bed. "But you will have to sometime."

"I know," she responded pulling him to lie on the bed.

The vampire Alucard gathered his young lover in his arms and kissed her hair. Astra lay in Alucard's embrace and closed her eyes. This was the first time she could ever remember feeling safe. With that she turned over and gently kissed him before settling herself into his chest, soon fallen into, for once, a dreamless sleep.