Author's notes: Last treat. For more notes and comments, see end.

-R&R? Why, yes please. Always.
Tea and honey to you who reviewed. =^.^=

YOUNG QUEEN YOURS

#04

The church bells rang. Outside my window the clear skies held a darkening hue of deep blue behind the silhouettes of old buildings and monuments. Sitting back in the old oak chair by my office desk I gazed at the evening. Things were a changing. Vampires, the remnants of FREAKS and other occult activities in modern day Europe continued to show its ugly face, with or without Hellsing. In retrospect, even I had to admit that they served a purpose on their end... and did it well. Very well. But the Hellsing institution had become history with the death of its last family member and leader: Sir Integral Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing. A shame, really. It would be a small sin to deny that she had been a crafty and strong woman. Crafty, strong, intelligent and attractive. Of course, I'd deny each word and say the opposite to her face if she were still among the living. Alas, she is not.

Six months since the official fall of Hellsing and seven since the death of its master and last namesake. The house confiscated by the Crown and the troops reassigned. Even the old steward and that young vampire novice had been reassigned, after much fuss, I heard. The largest enigma is what happened to the resident Master Vampire of the Hellsing institute and manor. Him being the obvious and foremost reason why the house could never be sold or destroyed -without leaping at high-risk gambling with death. Strangely enough, he'd just about vanished, even from the 'locals' and former household kin. It was troublesome. At the slightest resurfacing and sign of trouble I would have to make sure he'd be taken care of. That bastard spelled way too much trouble.

I must have fallen asleep at my desk, because the next thing I remember was waking to the sound of my clock striking midnight and the eerie chill down my back that someone was watching me. Groggily I blinked away sleep and looked around. Outside my open window the night was pitch black and the stars were out. At first I did not see her, but when I did, my limbs froze and my eyes stared in disbelief. It was a lie! It had to be a trick! Integral Hellsing gazed back at me calmly and silently where she stood motionless beside my open window. The curtains danced a little behind her in the night breeze. There were no glasses resting on her nose to even hinder that enchanting ice-blue stare of hers the slightest. She looked as healthy as ever and was clad in a firm dark suit like usual. Although, I noticed, she seemed to be lacking a shirt... and that bow she always wore. A single gold chain with a small cross as pendant seemed to be all that covered her neck. OK, it actually did very little covering... I admit. It had a somewhat opposite effect even. At any rate, there she was, the former leader of Hellsing, very much alive and not dead and buried as the report had said. I had actually even attended the memorial (they would not let me in to the funeral). I changed my opinion after having met her gaze for another long moment. Not alive and kicking: just not buried. Lord have mercy! I could not believe my eyes. And she was damn gorgeous for a dead woman.

"Hello Maxwell." She spoke quietly. In return it took me several seconds to bring myself back to my wits. I can not remember whenever I actually returned her greeting verbally or I just wore an expression that spoke volumes instead. Either way, she acknowledged it. "Surprise." She continued. Surprise, indeed! Wretched woman, was she finding this amusing?! Then again, perhaps my expression was. Integral -one of the Undead: a vampyre, never had it crossed my mind. A horde of questions came to my mind but none got answered that night. She just told me, in a soft, quiet yet a clear voice fit to command armies that she was here in business. She said, she needed me. I was perplexed.

A long pause followed her declaration. Silence sunk into the room and lay over it like a blanket and I just watched her. I think I whispered 'Okay...' in a drifting... wondering, questioning sort of manner. The nightlights of Rome and the Vatican bathed her in a faint background glow from outside the window, illuminating her figure. The lights seemed to dance. I began to realise I was sinking into some sort of half-dazed state of being awake by just watching her. This alarmed something in the back of my mind but the warnings was subdued as she closed the small distance between us and came up to me by my desk.

Leaning with one hand on my desk, she reached out and took my chin in her other. "I need your help." She said, blue eyes never blinking. "Let's rid the world of some trash together,... Enrico." She whispered to my face. I don't remember leaving my office but I must have, because when I came to my senses again I was far from there. I was outside and apparently on a mission.

FIN.

/by croaky, jen. 2002-11-08/
.net

Author's End Comments:
There is a cirtain creepy feeling when stories write themselves. This, was as far as this one wrote itself. I am surprised it got further than the first initial installmanet but then again I am surprised it got /anywhere/. The chapters' POV are (obviously enough) Integral, Alucard, Integral, and Enrico Maxwell. And, strange as it may sound I'll let you know *I am no big fan of the Integral-turns-vampire deal*, either. I said this fic wrote itself, did I not? Fan of Integral I am, of course. The 'scent' Integral refers to in chapter three is the "scent of strength and freedom" AKA Alucard's blood. Her objective is being her own nosferatu, not feeding. What happened to Walter and Victoria? Good question and unfortunately I have no idea. What does Integral plan? Got no answer there either, but free from the shackles of mortal duties of life she sure seems to be scheming /something/.

Thanks to: Garmarna (especially their 'Hildegard von Bingen' album) whose music was a wonderful company while typing this down; all you people who actually read this crap all the way down to HERE; and extra thanks to you whom Reviewed.

And,
"That's All Folks".

.