Hellsing - Blood Heritage

It's raining like a mo' fo' right now. Jeepers, if it keeps up like this, I'm gonna built myself a boat! Oh well. At least I don't have to wash my car now...

Harry Potter was very awesome! The only beef I had about it was the end confrontation between Harry and Snape. I was really looking forward to seeing Severus go ape shit on Harry.... Alan Rickman is a great Snape - but I think he plays him a little too stoic sometimes. He was supposed to have a freak out moment in the 5th movie too but it never happened. ~grumbles~

(Yeah, if you couldn't tell, I am an unashamed Snape fangirl. Evil teachers are smexy. XD )

Anyway... We're finally back at Hellsing where we belong! Whooo! ~throws confetti into the air in celebration~

Ahem. Okay, now that that's over.
---------------------


Integral Hellsing despised the Catholics.

Not only did they have little regard for the lives of those who weren't members of their 'holier than thou' church - they were pompous, rude, and dictatorial. The more well known Vatican sects had begun to take on a more humanitarian image in recent decades; but the members of Section 13 refused to hide behind a mask of civility. As 'God's chosen representatives', the arrogant bastards believed themselves above such things. Needless to say, it made negotiations with them extraordinarily difficult.

Integra had been forced to jump through proverbial rings of fire to arrange a simple telephone conversation with Iscariot Director Father Maxwell. After the knight had torn into the man for breaking treaty agreements in Ireland, he wasn't too keen on talking with her. But Integra was nothing if not persistent, and she finally managed to work her way through the tiers to Maxwell's private phone line.

"Sir Integral Fairbrooks Wingates Hellsing." the priest sneered over the line. "To what do I owe the 'honor' of hearing from the Director of Hellsing herself?"

Though there was no one in the room to witness it, Integra scowled. "Let's not beat around the bush Maxwell. This isn't a courtesy call. I have a business proposition for you."

She heard Maxwell let out a derisive snort. "We have no business with the Hellsing Organization."

"You do when we have information detailing Vatican assistance to an organization developing artificial vampires."

That certainly got his attention. There was a long, thoughtful pause on his end of the line before he spoke again.

"What are you implying Sir Integra?"

Sensing this was the only opening she would get, Integra explained the situation. She didn't like having to admit that Hellsing was at a disadvantage. But the knight knew that this was no time to get caught up in displays of power. She needed information, and the Iscariots were the only ones who could provide it. If that meant humbling herself to get it, she would. She knew that Maxwell was listening carefully to her words, turning every available option over in his mind no doubt. When she finished, the priest took a deep, yet steady breath.

"Do you have the names of the priests involved in this?" he asked her.

It was the precise reaction they were hoping for. "I have agents retrieving the documents in question at this very moment." she replied.

There was another thoughtful span of silence.

"Iscariot does not provide assistance to heathens and monsters." the priest said finally. "Why should we help you?"

"Would you rather let the priests responsible for this go unpunished?" Integra quipped. "Our intelligence tells us that Millennium has their fingers in multiple levels of the British government. It is no stretch of the imagination to believe they have agents within the Vatican as well. We are facing the same enemy. We cannot afford to let personal differences hamper this investigation."

When he didn't immediately respond, Integra took a deep breath. She had hoped that they would be able to come to an agreement without her having to resort to what she was about to do. She hated showing weakness to an enemy. But there were too many lives at stake - both her own men, and the civilian population at large. If lives were to be lost, she didn't want the deaths to weigh on her mind while knowing she didn't do everything within her power to stop it.

"Listen well Enrico Maxwell, because this will be the 'only' time you hear it from me." the knight said, squaring her shoulders as she did so. "I am desperate. I ask for nothing more than an exchange of information."

For a man who prided himself on his so called 'virtuous' nature, the laugh that escaped from him was pure and unadulterated evil.

"So the high and mighty Iron Maiden has stooped to 'begging' for my assistance..." Maxwell said, still chuckling maliciously. "What an interesting development."

If he had been in the room with her, Integra would have shot him. But the overwhelming sickness and anger flooding through her was nothing compared to the feeling that welled up at his next choice of words.

"I will consider your request on one condition." he said in a slow and deliberate manner. "You will repeat your request for my help. And this time, you will say 'please'."

Integra glared down at the phone in her hands as if she could slaughter the man on the other end of the line by force of will alone. "Excuse me?" she hissed.

"You heard me." he replied calmly. "Say please and I will consider your request."

'You bloody bastard.' she thought to herself. Maxwell was forcing her to beg. Literally. It was the most disgusting thing she could imagine. The logical side of her mind reasoned that it was a small price to pay. A single word in exchange for a wealth of information... yet she still had an overwhelming urge to vomit when the blasted word slipped past her lips.

"Would you help us in our investigation of Millennium? 'Please'."

The sadistic priest chuckled in satisfaction. "There now Integra. Was that so difficult?"

The knight's reaction was instantaneous. "It's 'Sir' Integra to you Maxwell." she spat at him.

The venom in her voice didn't dampen his mood in the slightest. "Of course, 'Sir' Integra. I will think about it carefully. I do look forward to hearing your lovely voice again soon."

Integra slammed the receiver down so hard it was a wonder that the phone didn't shatter into a thousand pieces.

------------------------------

She was in a terrible mood for the remainder of the afternoon. Most of her aggression was taken out on her paperwork. She was so incredibly angry that the scratch of her pen actually ripped through several documents as she graced them with her signature.

"I take it you finally got through to Father Maxwell then?" a gentle voice inquired.

The knight's head shot up. She hadn't noticed Walter come in with her usual afternoon tea. She gave her butler the briefest of nods before going back to her work, careful to watch how hard she pressed down on the pen this time.

"Leave the tray Walter." she said dismissively. "And don't expect me down for supper tonight."

It was a habit she had developed as a teenager. Integra never ate much when she was upset about something. In fact, that was one of the few ways that those closest to her knew that something was going on. In the years following her succession to the head of the family, Walter had tried multiple times to find ways around the habit - all to no avail. The butler sighed heavily then did as she asked. Integra listened for the familiar click of the door closing behind him before dropping the pen and leaning back into her chair. She was thankful the sun was still out. Alucard didn't bother her much during the day. The last thing she needed was for him to pop up and torment her while she was in a bad mood. Though she was in for a surprise if she believed that the rest of her afternoon was going to go without an interruption.

Not 20 minutes after Walter left, the phone on her desk shrilled insistently. Integra recognized the number on the display and frowned. Either Walter had taken it upon himself to inform Edmund of her dangerous mood, or the man had the worst timing in the world. Knowing her butler, it was probably the first of the two possibilities.

The knight chose to forgo the usual pleasantries of answering a call. Upon lifting the receiver to her ear, she simply said, "I am going to pretend that my butler has not been feeding you information about my mental state and that you have 'no' idea what is going on and are calling for a reason other than distracting me from my work."

Apparently Ed hadn't expected her to answer the phone with such a long declaration. There was a brief silence where he collected himself from the sudden onslaught.

"So... is this a skeet shooting day or a fencing day?" he asked finally.

"Edmund, I have been on the phone with the Vatican for most of the morning, and I have more paperwork than I care to think about at the moment."

"Ah. Skeet shooting then." he said thoughtfully. "Are you bringing your gun this time, or do you want to use mine?"

Integra knew what he was doing. Edmund was extremely clever when it came to distracting people from things that troubled them. It was one of the reasons why she found herself liking him so much - right along with his complete nonchalant attitude regarding her station in life. Most men who encountered a woman who wielded as much authority as she did were either intimidated, or tried to find a way to pull them under their control. Edmund did neither. He simply acted as though her job was no different from any other. Perhaps being in a leadership role himself had given him an understanding of the constant stresses she faced. Whatever it was, Integra found it was quite pleasant to have someone around who understood and respected the importance of her position, while still seeing her as a 'person' rather than a figurehead to be set upon a pedestal.

"I'll write the bastard's name on the clays so you'll have something to aim for..." Edmund prodded when she didn't immediately answer.

Despite her bad mood, the idea made the corner of the knight's lips quirk slightly. Perhaps a bit of shooting would do her some good. There was nothing on her desk that needed her immediate attention, and it would be nice to get out of the house for a while...

"Fine. You've convinced me. I'll be there shortly."
-----------------------------------

They had been in France for eight days before they finally got a lead on where the documents might be.

It was the most underhanded thing Seras had ever done. Of course, she was just doing her job, but it still felt like she was taking advantage of the people's ignorance. She couldn't help but feel a bit bad about it. Pip's family was so nice to her. She hated having to use them in such a manner...

They had been having a conversation over dinner when the draculina realized just how much she had to keep hidden. Bernadette's parents were interested in every small facet of her life. It was to be expected, considering the story they were being fed. Seras had prepared herself for the various questions they might ask her... except for the ones concerning her job.

"So Seras..." Henri said conversationally. "What iz eet you do for a living?"

The young vampire could have kicked herself. Why in the name of God hadn't she come up with a response for that? "Um..."

Pip saved her ass for what had to be the hundredth time since they had been there. "British Military, special forces." he gave Seras a meaningful look. "Right mignonette?"

It never ceased to amaze her how well the captain could think of such things under pressure. Of course keeping as close to the truth as possible was the wisest thing to do. 'Special forces indeed.' She cleared her throat and nodded. "Yes."

Brie and Henri took the information in stride, but the teenagers seemed to think it was the most amazing thing they had ever heard.

"Special forces?" Nell asked, sounding excited by the prospect. "Like a sniper!?"

" 'ave you ever killed zomeone?" the twins asked simultaneously.

"Boys!" Brie admonished them from across the table. "Zhat's not zomezhing you ask a guest!" She turned to Seras apologetically. "I am zo zorry. Zhey get excited about zhings like zhat..."

The draculina waved her hands in the air. "Oh, it doesn't bother me at all! It is a bit unusual I suppose." She was slightly worried about what they would think about her being in the 'military', but was relieved when they showed no outward signs of being bothered by it. Maybe their dislike of the captain's profession had more to do with fighting for money's sake.

"Well, at least you know 'ow to 'andle yourself." Henri commented, glancing sideways at his stepson. "Zhis one isn't zhe easiest to get on wizh."

Pip sniffed. "I can assure you, zhis girl iz fully capable of kicking my arse. I really don't want to go zhrough zhat again..."

The memory of their first encounter made Seras grin mischievously. "Oh please, Pip. I honestly didn't hit you 'that' hard."

"You broke my bloody nose woman!"

"You deserved it." she quipped. "You shouldn't have been making fun of me."

The idea that she was willing to hit Pip hard enough to do damage had an interesting effect on the others at the table. The children found it hilarious and wasted no time in laughing at the Captain's expense. Brie and Henri however, shared a meaningful look. It was obvious from the expression on their faces that they believed that Pip may have found the perfect woman.

"You know, my fazher waz a soldier during WWII." Brie stated, deciding to change the subject to something the draculina might find interesting.

Seras' ears pricked up. She shot a look across the table and saw that Pip was listening with interest as well. This was the break they had been waiting for, and they didn't need to spoil it by saying the wrong thing.

"Really?" she asked, trying not to sound too insistent. "I've always been interested in the world wars... You wouldn't happen to have any mementos laying about would you?"

The woman shook her head. "Unfortunately, my fazher waz very secretive about zhose zhings. Everyzhing 'e brought back wizh 'im iz locked up in zhe bunker..."

The draculina's eyes went wide. "You have a 'bunker'?"

"Oui. During zhe war, zhere waz always zhe zhreat of being bombed, so 'e 'ad a bunker built under zhe shed out back." Pip's mother replied. "When zhere waz no longer a need for eet, 'e locked eet up tight."

It wasn't much, but neither of them wanted to press their luck by asking more questions. Showing too much interest in the mysterious 'bunker' would draw undue attention to the couple. They sat through dinner, engaging in idle conversation about random subjects until the adults decided that it was time for the kids to settle down for the night. Pip and Seras made their way up to their room to work out a strategy.

It was about two in the morning when they decided to sneak out to the shed behind the house. Everyone else was asleep, so as long as they remained quiet, they could get out of the house without being discovered. Upon reaching the shed and stepping inside, they uncovered a trapdoor that opened to reveal a set of steps. They climbed down into a small concrete room that served as the main entrance into the underground shelter. Set into the wall across from the steps was a heavy, steel plated door that looked like it could survive a blast a blast from Seras' Harkonnen. Obviously, getting into the bunker was going to be more difficult than they originally expected.

It was one of those doors with a lock that was impossible to pick. And from what Brie had told them during dinner, the keys had been lost decades ago.

"Bloody hell." Seras swore, planting her hands on her hips. "If it's not one thing, it's another. Why does this always happen to me?"

Pip examined the door carefully before turning to her. "Can't you just... walk zhrough eet?"

The draculina stared at him like he had lost his mind. "Excuse me? I can't just 'walk through' things!"

"Why not?"

The question made her pause. Technically, she should have the ability to pass through objects. Her master could do it after all. But she had never attempted it before, and had no idea how to go about doing it.

"I... Master hasn't taught me how to do it yet..." she said haltingly.

"Well, zhere's no time like zhe present." Pip gave her a little push at the small of her back. "Let's zee what you can do, mignonette."

Seras wasn't convinced that she could, but the Captain looked like he had faith in her abilities. She couldn't bear the thought of letting him down, so she resolved herself to at least make an attempt at it. The young vampire took a deep breath and stepped toward the door. From what she had seen, Alucard could do this effortlessly. But there had to be some sort of visualization involved. She pressed her hands against the metal and tried to imagine that she was made up of something that could pass through it - like air or water. Her eyes closed to help intensify the image in her head. She was mist. Lighter than air - more than air. Physical objects were nothing to her. They had to bend to her will and allow her passage through them. The draculina could feel a change in her body, so she knew 'something' was happening. Yet she still couldn't press her hands through the door.

"Mignonette..."

Seras frowned, her eyes still closed. "Pip, I am 'trying' to concentrate."

"Um... Seras? You might want to look down..." his voice continued.

There was a small note of amusement attached to it that caught her attention. Confused, Seras opened her eyes and glanced downward. A small gasp of shock escaped her lips when she realized what she had done. Her visualization had worked, but not in the way she expected. Her lower legs - up to her knees - had melted down through the floor. The draculina jerked her hands away from the door and attempted to tug her legs free.

They didn't budge.

"Oh, bloody fucking hell!" she exclaimed. "I'm stuck!"

Pip broke out into streams of laughter at her predicament. Seras shot a deadly looking glare at him as she continued to struggle. It was annoying at first, but when her efforts continued to be fruitless, she started panicking. She was never going to get out of this. The rest of her life was going to be spent with her legs stuck in a concrete floor. It wasn't until the young vampire started hyperventilating that Pip's amusement turned to concern.

"Merde. Um..." He glanced around, as if something would magically appear to help her out of the situation she had gotten herself into. "Alright, calm down. Slow deep breaths. We're not going to get out of zhis wizh you freaking out..."

"My legs are stuck in the goddamn FLOOR!" she screeched at him. "What the bloody hell do you suggest I do?!"

It would have been funny if Seras wasn't absolutely certain that she was never getting out. When Pip suggested that they call Hellsing and ask Alucard what to do, she nearly went into hysterics. Her master already thought she was pathetic as a vampire. She didn't want to imagine his reaction to this. He would probably just laugh and tell Pip to leave her there...

After several minutes of struggling, Pip shocked her senseless when he got on his knees behind her and wrapped his arms around her ribcage.

"What the hell are you doing!" she sputtered.

"Calm down and listen to me." he said, his voice calm but firm. "We are going to get out of zhis mess. I want you to do whatever eet waz you were doing before, and I'll 'elp pull you out."

Seras nodded frantically and tried to do as he said. She sucked in slow, deep breaths, allowing the air to fill her lungs and calm her nerves to the point where she could think. She tried to fill her mind with the same imagery she had used to signal the change the first time. It was difficult, considering the situation. But Pip remained right where he was, murmuring quiet words of encouragement in her ear the entire time.

"Focus, mignonette. You can do zhis. I 'know' you can do zhis."

It took several moments of concentration, but she finally felt everything 'click'. When he felt her sinking a bit lower into the floor, Pip tightened his arms and gave a quick jerk. Seras' legs pulled free from the concrete and they both tumbled backwards in a heap. Seras heard the breath rush from Pip's lungs as he hit the concrete. Worried, she twisted herself around in his arms to examine him for injuries.

"Oh my gosh, I didn't hurt you did I? Are you alright?!"

The draculina wasn't sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn't what she got. Pip's good eye blinked up at her, then he broke out into the largest grin she had ever seen.

"Oui! I 'ave a beautiful girl on top of me." he said, looking like a little boy that had been set loose in a candy store. "I zhink I like zhis 'saving damsels in distress' buizness..."

Seras' cheeks flamed a bright red. She wasn't sure whether to smack him or start sputtering in protest. She realized then what it would look like if someone were to see them. She was laying on top of him, straddling his waist with her legs. The young vampire scuttled off of him and did her best to hide the girlish blush staining her face.

"We have a job to do, Captain." she squeaked, returning to his more formal title. She was too embarrassed by what had just transpired to call him by his name.

As Pip chuckled at her and pushed himself up off the floor, Seras turned her attention back to the door. All that, and they still didn't have a way to get inside. She felt a rush of irritation flood through her. Here she was, a vampire - the fledgling of the most powerful Nosferatu in existence - and she was bested by a bloody door. She let out a low growl and kicked at it with her foot.

"Goddamn it, just open up already!!!" she shouted, as if her words could do what she herself could not.

To her shock and amazement, there was a small 'click' and the door creaked open of it's own accord. It was as if the giant metal slab had only been waiting for her to request that it open. Behind her, Pip gaped in disbelief.

"Bloody 'ell girl, why didn't you do zhat in zhe first place?" he asked.

Seras was too taken aback by the whole thing to get upset with him. "I... I didn't know I could..."

She looked down at her hands in astonishment. What else was she capable of - what other powers lay dormant within her that she didn't know about? When they got back home, she was going to ask her Master about it. These were the sort of things that she could really 'use' if he would just teach her... She was snapped out of her thoughts by Pip's playful sniff.

"Well, I zhink you pulled zhis 'getting stuck' zhing zo you would 'ave an excuse to molest me..."

The draculina's eyes went wide at the accusation. "Molest yo...!" she stopped herself mid-word and crossed her arms over her chest. "You are an insufferable... perverted... 'git'!"

Bernadette didn't even try to deny it. He smiled that same happy smile of his and nodded boisterously. "Zhat I am! But I can't 'elp eet. You are zo cute when you're upzet wizh me..."

Seras had no idea how someone was supposed to respond to something like that. She settled for gaping at him like a fish.

Pip grinned and made a clicking noise with his tongue. "Zhere now, mignonette. Don't stare at me wizh your mouth 'anging open like zhat! I zhink you're prettier when you blush." His grin widened a hair when her blush returned to her cheeks and stepped past her into the bunker. "Now, let's get zhose papers for Sir Integra. We 'ave been gone too long, and she's probably zhrowing a fit."

------------------------------------------

Yay!!! More Pip and Seras cuteness!

The whole 'Seras sinking into the floor thing' came from a rather interesting conversation I had with my little brother. (he's 13) I was trying to figure out a way to have something cute happen, and he just happened to be watching Hellsing at the time. (They steal my DVD's from me all the time. I stopped trying to lock them up ages ago. They always find a way past it.) Anyways, he was like: "Hey, if vampires can go through walls, can they go through floors too?"

The rest, as they say, is history. I never asked 'why' he wanted to know that. As the straight-laced older sister, I probably don't want or need to know. So I'll leave it as a mystery....


AH! Reviews scare away the monsters that eat my plot bunnies! Don't let the plot get destroyed by those evil things!