Iron Bars. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I do not own Hellsing. Sue at own risk. Blah, blah, blah

Warning: Reading this may seriously damage your health. It may cause heart failure, back spasms, hearing deficiency, long-term mental damage, short term mental damage, liver failure, kidney disease, tummy ache, blindness, lung failure and a runny nose. I am not responsible for reader’s safety while reading this, if you experience any of these symptoms please contact some one who is not me.

Authoress note: I would like to apologize for my grammar and any spelling errors my checker has missed. I have mentioned before in a few of my fics that I am dyslexic (meaning I can’t spell for toffee and uses micro word to check all written documents, blame the program not me puppy eyes), I hope this does not spoil the fic for you.

“Walter” Integra called

“yes Sir Integra” Walter came walking up behind her making the young child jump.

“I am going to retire now” she said. Integra sounded tired and Walter nodded, a good nights sleep would probably do this child a world of good, while sleep may not fix all the problems she was facing, it may make her feel more capable of handling them.

“would you like anything before you sleep” Walter asked, for a moment Integra looked awkward

“walk with me a moment” she asked and moved down the hall towards her room. After a few moments she asked “you were acquainted with Alucard”

“yes I knew him, spoke with him on many occasions” Walter agreed

“he speaks fondly of you” she smiled lightly “at least I think he does, he was a little difficult to understand at points”

“he can be that, yes” again Walter confirmed

“I would like for you to sort him out, with cloths, a room and such, you understand” Integra stopped walking outside her bedroom door “I think I will have him take up his old role in the organization”

“yes Sir Integra”

“he makes quiet an adequate show of force, of which I have witnessed first hand” Integra nodded to herself “I am aware the knights think me unworthy of my father’s title, no amount of clever argument on my behalf will rectify that but . . .” Integra’s smile widened “I believe this might change their minds about challenging my authority so quickly”

“indeed” Walter nodded, “Alucard can have that effect on people”

“thank you Walter” Integra opened the door to her room “I see why my father trusted you” with that comment as she closed the door.

Walter entered the kitchens his mind clicking over his tasks, to sort Alucard out as it were, make him presentable, however first he had to find him. Walter searched the top half of the basement thinking perhaps the vampire had returned to his old room, but no, the room was dust covered and empty, only an empty set of draws and an equally empty dusty coffin.

Next place on his mental list was the library, he had often collided with the undead agent there, Alucard had liked the library, it was quiet and often empty, however once again Walter came up with nothing.

“if I was an undead vampire, who’d just awoken in a basement where would I be” Walter muttered to himself

“you would be in the place denied you for so long” Alucard’s mental voice filtered through Walter’s thoughts

“and where would that be” Walter asked

“think about it” Alucard replied, Walter could hear the self satisfied smirk on the vampires tone

Walter did as he was told, he thought about it, what had Alucard been denied for so long, he remembered the dungeon tunnels, dark, but Alucard liked the dark. Damp, so the vampire was somewhere dry, the stale air, so the vampire was . . . Outside.

Walter mentally kicked himself and made his way up the stairs. Finally after what felt like an eternity of stairs Walter reached the door that lead to the roof, looking around he spotted his quarry on the other side, perched on a ledge, like a sinister animate gargoyle.

“I do believe I missed this most of all” Alucard whispered as Walter drew nearer “I always miss the sky when I have slept”

“I thought I would find you lurking in the kitchen’s waiting to be fed” Walter half smiled sitting next to his old friend

“I am not your dog Walter, I can feed myself” Alucard snapped

“but you wont” Walter gently nudged the vampire wincing at the sharpness of the vampires bones, how close to the surface they were, his old friend appeared as a walking skeleton.

“I doubt my new master would be pleased if I went on an untimely rampage” Alucard turned to look at Walter taking in what the years had done to his once youthful companion. “you smell like furniture polish my friend”

“yeah well you don’t smell like a basket of roses yourself”

“good” the vampire smiled “I detest the smell of roses” Walter shivered at the vampire’s smile, the blood he had drunk had not been nearly enough, his smile caused his skin to move and hang as if it was lose and simply draped on him, he appeared the way a starving human would, to small for there skin.

“I’ve been condemned in a dirty misshapen hole for twenty years, I’m hardly surprised” Alucard replied easily catching Walter’s thoughts.

“well” Walter huffed “I have been charged with making you appear alive and comfortable so . . .” he stood expecting the vampire to rise with him

“Walter the illusionist” Alucard smirked

Walter groaned loudly “how long are you going to take” he demanded

“patience is a virtue” Alucard voice had a sing song tone to it now as he mocked his companion from behind the bathroom door

“you’ll go all wrinkly” Walter threatened

“I have no objections to wrinkles Walter” Alucard replied

“just cause your immortal doesn’t mean the rest of us are” Walter snapped, impatient with the immortal, as if in answer the water switched off “thank god” Walter huffed

although Walter acted as if the vampire had been in the bathroom for centuries it had in reality only been twenty or so minuets.

“I doubt the jacket can be repaired” Alucard called “it fell apart when I took it off”

“I doubt I care” Walter whispered still impatient

“I heard that” Alucard snapped back although not angrily “I was making the point that I’m going to be walking around in a towel”

Walter smiled to himself, now was the time he could pat himself on the back for some premeditated action he had taken twenty years ago.

“your previous master wished to destroy all evidence of your existence save from your files and even those were well hidden” Walter explained “however I slipped in before him and was able to rescue a few bits and pieces, I had to leave some, if he found the room empty he would have known”

there was silence for a moment before Alucard replied

“thank you Walter” he was genuinely surprised, and a little unsure how to react, consideration from anyone was foreign to him, he decided he quiet liked it.

“what clothing I managed to rescue will be old but wearable, I’m sure we can get you something more appropriate later” Walter explained, turning away to gather the shirt and pants he had brought up, the door opened letting out a large amount of steam, a pale arm reached out to take the offered attire.

“they smell like an attic” Alucard commented mildly

“you’ll be pleased to know I managed to rescue your box” Walter replied ignoring the vampires comment.

Walter smiled at the twenty-five year old memory,

         flashback

“what are you doing” Water smiled at the image before him, the lower half of the vampire visible from under his coffin. A small cloud of dust rose and the immortal coughed

“far to dusty under here” he muttered

an empty, dust covered wine bottle was pushed out from under the coffin, an old, dog-eared book and a small wooden box the size of a thick book. Walter sighed and moved over to lift the empty bottle, throwing it in a near by bin, the book and box he lifted and dumped on the bed. Unsurprisingly the box fell open.

“Found it!!” came the triumphant cry from beneath the coffin, but Walter wasn’t listening

the open box had revealed a few items easily described as junk but obviously not. A red hair ribbon that appeared so old if it was touched it would fall apart in your hands. A bracelet adorned with rubies with a matching necklace, undoubtedly female. A ring obviously made for a man, the image was far to worn to be seen clearly however. A few coins. A piece of extremely old paper with foreign words.

The contents were roughly brushed from Walter’s sight before he could finish seeing what was there, Alucard hastily closed the box and slipped it into a drawer before turning back to Walter.

“Here” a dusty book was carelessly dropped in Walter’s lap “told you I had it somewhere”

“under the coffin and you tell me I’m a slob” Walter smirked trying to lift the tense atmosphere and failing. Silence lay heavy for a moment “what’s with the box” he asked eventually

“just junk” Alucard answered to quickly

“uh-hu” Walter replied sarcastically “you expect me to believe that” the vampire shook his head and smiled, but it was sad.

“little bits of compassion” he replied

         End flashback

“its about time” Walter sighed when the bathroom door opened fully.

He had to admit a few blood packs . . . a lot of blood packs and a shower later and the vampire looked somewhat like his old self again, despite the white hair.

“feel better?” Walter asked

“I do” the vampire replied

“glad to hear it, our water bill is going to suffer because of it though” Walter smiled.

“this is preposterous!” a knight whom Integra had yet to learn the name of snapped “a girl child the leader of Helsing.”

“which offends you more” Integra asked feigning nonchalance “the fact I am a child or a girl”

“you realize if not for your uncles untimely disappearance we would insist on him taking this role” a second knight spoke up calmer than his friend

“strange” Integra snapped “Her Majesty agreed to me taking the head of this organization when he was still alive”

“little girls do not run organizations” the first knight snapped standing to tower over the small form of Integra “they are not capable, physically and mentally weak!”

“I disagree” a calm voice floated from nowhere, Integra smiled at the expression on the knight’s face. Her smile widened when her vampire slipped through the wall. “I think you’ll find her stronger than her predecessor” Alucard stopped, standing just behind Integra’s chair

“gentlemen I assume you are familiar with Alucard” Integra spoke with a quiet smugness

Alucard reached out to the knight who had been standing over Integra, gripping the man’s fragile wrist, tightly causing him to try and jerk away, failing miserably.

“hiding behind your vampire Integra?” the calmer of the knights spoke up, acting unfazed by the proximity of the vampire

“Sir Integra!” Integra snapped “I do not hide! Those who matter have recognized my right and ability to run this organization it is only you people here that stubbornly refuse to acknowledge what is right in front of you”

“You dare . . .”

“I have already proven my strength by accomplishing what my father could not! I have controlled Hellsing’s monster” Integra finished.

If Alucard felt any offence at the past comment it did not show on his features, instead he smiled wider clenching his hand tightly around his captives wrist, forcing the man to his knees with a cry of pain, driving home Integra’s point.

“human’s are so fragile” Alucard whispered

“that’s enough Alucard” Integra said quietly, calmly.

Alucard released the man’s wrist with a sigh of disappointment, but now was not the time to show disobedience not when they were purposely acting this up to show, Integra’s strength.

“you may leave” Integra instructed. With a nod the vampire was swallowed by the shadows. The meeting went on with a different tone.

“slightly over dramatic but I think they got the point” Integra hid a smile behind her hand

“I believe they did” Walter nodded making no effort to hide his smile

“I may not yet be as strong as my father” Integra began “but I believe I may some day come close”

“you defiantly have more of a sense of humor” Alucard smirked sliding easily through the wall

Walter nodded and looked to Sir Integra who was thinking.

“now we have the politics dealt with for the time being we may turn our attention to more important matters” Integra spoke flatly

“sounds fun” her vampire grinned