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

Author's note: I would like to wish you all a Merry Belated Christmas! And for those of you
who (like Malakai) are pagan, Happy Yule! I got a lot of positive reviews for my last chapter, so
thank all of you. That was the best present ever. Special thanks to PyrokineticFeral. You have
faithfully sent me a review for every chapter so far! I'm not excluding the rest of you, you are all
great and getting so many reviews makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. So, here it is,
Chapter ELEVEN! (Wow, that far already???) And also, part of the credit for this chapter goes
to Malakai. He helped write it ^_^
"Seras! SERAS WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Alucard shouted as he stormed down the halls. No one would tell him where she was, or
where Malakai was, and now he was furious. Turmoil he had not experienced for many hundred
years created confusion in his mind. He didn't understand these emotions, but at the moment he
really did not care. He just wanted to find Seras!
* * * * *
Master? Master! Master Alucard! Answer me! Please! It's so dark! I can't find you!
Victoria stood in an utterly unfamiliar room, clothed in a hospital robe and all alone. Fear
permeated her mind, and she began to scream, banging the walls with her fists, tears beginning to
pour from the corners of her eyes. But at one place, the wall seemed to give way to her blows
just a tiny bit. She abruptly stopped crying and inspected it. It was a door! Designed to blend in
with the walls around her to keep her from finding a way out. She put her hands and ear against
the door. She listened for any sounds of cracking in the paper thin metal sheets that the door was
made of as she pushed. A slight cracking sound was her reward for her efforts. She decided to
wait a moment to collect her thoughts before trying to escape. She looked around the room.
There was a bed in the corner, secured firmly to the ground. A small table with clothes on it and
a glass of water (also secured to the ground). Other than that the room was bare, white, cold.
Victoria got up and inspected the clothes. She recognized them as her own, a pair from the crate
down in her room. A skintight black short sleeved shirt, a pair of black jeans, a black leather
belt, a pair of black knee high socks, and her boots. She hurriedly donned all of these (covering
herself in the event that there were cameras anywhere in the room) and glanced up. Ah. One-
sided window. Bloody brilliant. She rolled her eyes and tried to remember what exactly she was
doing there. She and Alucard had been walking in the Hellsing garden, and . . . Anderson had
come. Malakai had arrived to help, but . . . Anderson stabbed them with needles. They'd passed
out, and then Anderson had injected her with something. She wondered why the room was so
damned dark, and realized (looking into the huge mirror) that her eyes were somehow their
former baby blue color, rather than the red eyes she'd inherited from her master. So . . . what
exactly had that drug done to her? Was it really possible that she was human now? Deciding to
test that theory, she used the sharp metal corner of the table to cut her finger, jabbing herself
hard. It hurt! Blood streamed from the cut, and she stuck her finger into her mouth. Instead of
the sweet unbelievably magnificent taste she had become accustomed to, her blood tasted sharp
and coppery. So it was true!
"Human?" Victoria whispered.
* * * * *

---

Malakai awoke to a pounding head and a rush of memory that he really did not like. He
sat up on the hard, uncomfortable bed he'd been placed on. He didn't recognize this place. It
was cold, bare. He wondered where everyone was. He knew what had happened to himself
(having a greater awareness of self than most people did) and immediately resolved to find
Victoria and Alucard. But first things first. He was bare from the waist up, and having seen one
of his shirts lying on the small metal table beside him, he pulled it on. He felt a rush of thanks
that whoever had had the nerve to put him here had allowed him to keep his pentacle. He'd have
ripped them to bloody pieces if they'd taken it, human or not. He searched the walls for a
weakness, an opening. Finding a place that he assumed was the door, he stood back and
promptly broke the thin metal barrier down.
"Really, now. I'm insulted. Did you think that my being human would make that much
difference? A child could break that door down," he said to the large one-way window above
him before walking out into the hallway.
Seeing stairs to his immediate left, he ascended one floor. This way, he could peer
through the windows to find Victoria. He strode from room to room, until he found one that was
occupied (diligently avoiding the room above his own). Assuming that this was where they were
keeping her, he snuck in.
"What's she up to now?" a man in his mid-thirties asked irritably.
"Sitting on her bed quietly," replied another that was probably in his late forties.
"Big change. Earlier she was trying to break down the walls and screaming and crying,"
said the first.
"Can you blame her? She's all alone in a strange place, and no one's going to tell her
what the hell is going on."
"Wonder why the Hellsing wants her. She's just a kid! Wish I could help her out," said
the younger male.
"Can't go against orders, and the orders say we're not to come in contact with her. So I
guess she'll just hafta . . . hey! What the hell are you doing in here?!"
Malakai ran for it, leaping down the stairs three and four steps at a time. He ran down the
hall to Victoria's door, and kicked it open.
"HURRY! We have to go NOW!"
Victoria ran out the door, taking Malakai's hand and together they ran down the hall.
They found an exit after several wrong turns and narrow escapes from angered security guards.
They dashed out the door and found themselves outside, within view of Hellsing manor. They
took off at a run to the house, hoping against hope that Alucard was there and not inside the
building they'd just left. Heart pounding and out of breath, they stopped in the elaborate maze of
the garden, resting against the wall.
"What . . . is . . . going on? Why . . . what was that place?" Victoria huffed.
"We were being . . . placed under obser . . . vation. By that Hellsing . . . she . . . ordered
the men in that place to . . . watch us," Malakai replied.
Victoria buried her head in her hands, disbelief overcoming her weariness. Sir Integral?
That couldn't be! Why?!
"Victoria . . ."
She pulled her hair for a moment in frustration before looking up a Malakai. Concern for
her was apparent on his face. He moved to kneel in front of her.
"Are you all right?"

---

"I'm fine, but I . . . I just can't figure this out."
"I understand," he said softly, taking her right hand in both of his own.
Her skin was chilled from the cool night air. His touch warmed her fingers, which were
beginning to go numb. She moved closer, into his arms. He curled his arms around her, trying to
keep her warm. She was shivering violently. He buried his nose in her hair, inhaling the scent of
her freesia shampoo. It wasn't the same as before, when it was her scent he could smell, but it
was comforting to know that she was there, safe.
"Damn it all . . . I was so worried about you . . ."
He was shocked to discover that he was on the verge of the first tears he had shed in over
five hundred years. But he didn't care. He held her tighter.
"I was worried about you too . . . it was . . . so dark . . . and I was alone. I didn't know
where you were, and -," Victoria replied, tears forming in her own eyes.
She looked up at him. Staring deep into his now-deep green eyes, which glistened with
tears, she choked back a sob. She threw her arms around his neck. She was happier than she'd
ever been that at least he was safe. And that they could now find her master, Alucard.
"We have to get out of here, before they come looking. I think I know of a way to get
into the house. Let's hurry," Victoria said, wiping away her tears and standing up.
Malakai stood and hastily the two of them ran to the other side of the house. There, at
their feet, was a grate over a wooden cellar door that somehow remained unsecured.
Sir Integra complains about vampires and the like breaking in, and then she lets little
things like this go unguarded. Next time we get attacked, I'm gonna laugh, Victoria thought
irritably.
They struggled to remove the heavy iron grate, and at last it came free. It had been rusted
to the ground. Throwing open the rotted wooden door, they hurriedly descended the stone stairs
and closed the doors behind them. As they shut the doors, a shower of wood splinters and dust
and God only knew what else came down on their heads. Victoria nearly choked. Malakai took
her hand and led her down the stairs into the hall she recognized as the one leading up to her
bedroom. She'd done quite a bit of exploring in her free time since coming here, and although
they were not in that exact hallway, she knew it would take only a few minutes to reach it. They
ran as quietly as they could, their footsteps reverberating off the stone walls. Every noise startled
them as they went, every noise seeming to be terribly loud. At last, however, they reached the
hallway, and their first stop was Alucard's room. To their misfortune, he was not there.
"We have to keep looking. He's probably searching for us," Malakai told her.
Victoria nodded and they left the room, carefully and watchfully heading up the stairs to
the first floor of the Hellsing manor. After several narrow escapes and two hours had gone by,
they finally made it to the hall outside Sir Integral's office. A great commotion came from
inside, and they tried to listen to the conversation within . . .
"Where are they?"
"I will tell you when I see fit to do so, Alucard, so kindly let go of my arm. The use of
force will get you nowhere."
"Damn you, Integra, where is my fledgling?!"
A loud smacking sound came from inside.
"How dare you strike me, Alucard? How dare you come barging into my office and
demand to be told anything, when you are the reason this whole thing happened!"
Victoria could take no more of this. She opened the door, ignoring the loud noise it made

---

when the doorknob slammed into the wall.
"Master! I'm here! I'm all right," She cried.
Alucard stared at her a long moment before rushing forward to hold her. For some
reason, this made Victoria uncomfortable.
"Er . . . Master? Uh, what-what are you doing?"
Then it suddenly hit her. He was treating her differently. Under normal circumstances,
he'd have stood there and waited for her to come to him. But now, with human emotions going
on a rampage inside his head, he really didn't have as much control as usual over his actions. So
she just curled her arms around his neck and closed her eyes, sighing in relief that he was safe
and still slightly sane. Then he seemed to realize what he was doing, and abruptly pulled away.
She smiled. He was still himself, even though he was human. Malakai walked through the door
just then, and Alucard grinned. Malakai repeated the action. Victoria looked on with the
knowledge that apparently something was incredibly amusing to the two of them.
"Hello, Alucard."
"Hello. Been a long time, hasn't it?"
"Yes, actually. Odd, isn't it?"
"Very much so. So," Malakai said in a voice that suggested he was holding back (or
trying to) a great deal of laughter.
"So, what?"
Victoria was genuinely confused. She didn't see what on earth was so damned funny!
(A/N: Honestly? I don't think anyone but Alucard and Malakai will ever know. But if
anyone has any ideas, please, please don't keep it to yourselves. We all really need to know.)
The fragmented and utterly incomprehensible conversation continued over the next few
minutes. But when it was finally over, Victoria knew why she liked Alucard as a vampire. He
was not nearly as confusing when he had fangs and bright red eyes. Oh, well. Nothing to be
done about it. She turned her gaze to the leader of the Hellsing Organization. Integral was
staring at her coolly, one leg crossed over the other.
"What is going on, Sir? Why were we being separated? Confined? I don't understand
what you mean by all of this," Victoria said.
Integra took her sweet time in answering, then at last replied, "As you may know, the
substance found in the darts Anderson used against you caused a reversed transformation to your
original state, in short, it made you human. Because the effects of this substance are only
temporary, I felt that I had to examine this development while it lasted, perhaps to cultivate more
of this substance and put it to use for our own purposes. The only way to do this was to take two
of the subjects -male and female- injected with the substance, and examine them."
"So we were your guinea pigs, then. Lab rats. That still doesn't justify you locking us up
-without our consent, no less- and then ordering us to be kept isolated and in the dark, completely
unaware of what was going on! What right do you think you have to make that decision without
our permission?! I'd have gladly volunteered if you'd just asked!" came the angry retort.
"I have every right, as your commander, to make a decision to have you studied and
isolated until I saw fit to release you. Don't question my decisions, Officer Seras."

---

This statement caused the intensity of Victoria's anger to rise, and for a new anger to
spark up in the other former vampires.
"You . . . are disgusting."
The angry out-of-the-blue comment caused Integral's gaze to snap up to Malakai's face.
"How sad that I almost respected you till now, Hellsing. You are such a disappointment."
Integra stood, angry now and utterly taken aback by this very blunt statement of exactly
how the man felt about her. A small part of her -the human being that could understand such
things- didn't blame him for being angry. But the Hellsing in her was furious. How dare that
blood-sucking monster speak to her that way?! Then, common sense kicked in and she
remembered that he was not, in fact, a vampire at this point.
"I am sorry that you don't approve of my actions. But it is not your place to judge them,
and at any rate, what's done is done."
"Yes, Sir Hellsing," Malakai replied snidely.
He must be really angry with her. I've never seen him act this way before. He's always
so calm and controlled and polite, Victoria thought.
"Sir? I think it would be best if my master, Malakai and myself were to return to the
basement for the remainder of the day. And for the rest of the night as well," Victoria suggested.
Integral nodded, "Yes, that would be best."
Victoria turned to leave the room with Alucard and Malakai alongside her.
"Oh, and Officer Seras?"
"Yes, Sir?"
"Forgive me for not asking for your permission."
"It's all right. Good day, Sir."
"Hn."
They walked in silence until they reached the stone stairs leading down into the basement.
Victoria mentally decided that something was definitely wrong with the members of the Hellsing
household. Secretly she hoped that the effects of the substance in the darts would not last too
long. Otherwise, things would get far too confusing and far too . . . human.
"You know . . . it was rather unusual for my master to apologize like that . . . I am
beginning to wonder if it's just the three of us that are going mad," Alucard announced suddenly.
"Yeah, it really was unusual, wasn't it. And by the way . . . speak for yourself. I'm not
going mad. So confine that particular statement to yourselves," Victoria replied, grinning.
"We're all laughing, Victoria. Haha. Ha," Malakai retorted, a small smile curving his
lips.
"Yes, madmen do tend to laugh at nothing, don't they," Victoria returned, glad to have
the upper hand for once.
Truly, this was a battle she could not lose. Because she was actually right. Alucard
watched her with a silent smirk. His eyes glittered with amusement. Victoria noticed him
looking at her and smiled, sticking her tongue out at him. Much to her surprise, he stuck his
tongue out right back.
"You are not the only one capable of being childish here, Police Girl," he smiled
crookedly.
"Maybe not, but I am the best at it."
"Mmm, true enough."
"Hey!"

---

By this time, they had reached Alucard's room, at the far end of the room. He opened the
door, and when they'd all gathered in his room, he shut it firmly behind him. Victoria sat on his
bed without thinking about it. A flash of jealousy crossed Malakai's face. She smiled sadly at
him for a moment. Alucard pulled out a chair for Malakai as he sat down himself. Malakai
dropped into the chair lightly. Victoria laughed as the two of them swung their feet up onto the
table simultaneously. They seemed to have done it so automatically.
"I get so confused. Who's copying who here?" she giggled.
"He is," both men replied.
Victoria was swept into gales of laughter. She fell backwards, and was grateful that she
wasn't sitting on the floor. Alucard arched an eyebrow at her but said nothing. When Victoria
had calmed down, she righted herself and crossed one leg over the other, placing her hands on
her knees.
"So," she said.
"What?" Malakai asked.
"What are we going to do now? I mean, we are human after all, so we can't go
gallivanting off to battle the way we usually do. And being human means we can be out during
the day, and go out without being followed, and all that sort of thing. So . . . what are we going
to do?"
Alucard and Malakai exchanged glances.
"Police Girl . . . did it ever occur to you that I hate the sun?" Alucard said, placing his
feet back on the floor and tilting the chair back slightly on its back legs.
"W-oh, yes. But . . . we can't live the way we usually do for the time being, and I want to
make the most of it!"
"Well . . . then . . . what do you want to do?" Malakai asked her.
"I was thinking . . . the first thing I want to do is go shopping," came the startling reply.
Malakai stared at her as Alucard sighed and shook his head. Again came the brief but
very annoying exchange of glances.
"Some things never change among women. Shopping is officially one of them," Malakai
said.
"What in hell is that supposed to mean?!"
"It means you are a woman, Police Girl."
"I know I'm a woman, thank you!"
Malakai chuckled.
"Hey, now. I recall reading somewhere that men in your era weren't exactly stingy
spenders either, so what are you teasing me for?"
"Because we love, you, Police Girl," Alucard replied.
Malakai threw a glance at him that was brief but spoke a thousand words. Victoria
smiled at him, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, I know it, Master. But I do wish you'd find a less infuriating way to express your
love. Most men send flowers. Or boxes of Godiva. Or spend money for a nice dinner."
"I am not most men, Seras Victoria, vampire or human," Alucard replied.
"Ah, true. Don't know what I was thinking."
"Unfortunately, Seras? Neither do I."
Victoria sighed and slumped down, resting her head on the pillow as she closed her eyes.
"We need to sleep. I've been running most of the day, and I'm very, very tired. And

---

besides, I'm going shopping tomorrow, with or without the two of you," she sighed.
A soft chuckle came from one of her two companions.
"All right, Seras. We'll come with you tomorrow."
Silence.
"Where are you going to get the money from?"
"Paychecks I never thought I'd use, and what's left in my account from before I came
here," she replied sleepily.
"Well, then. Fantastic. We're going shopping with a half-mad vampiress," Malakai's
voice chuckled softly.
"I told you . . . I'm not . . . mad. And besides . . . I'm not even a vampire anymore . . ."
So the two restless males sat talking quietly for a few more hours before turning in. The
prospect of being human for the first time in over five hundred years left them much to discuss,
and when they did sleep, they were no more aware of what it could mean than before.

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