Disclaimer: I don't own Hellsing. Don't sue.
Chapter IX: Beating the Red Light
Alexander Anderson kept a watchful eye on his orphaned charges, although his mind was on something else. He was thinking about the discovery he made a few days ago.
Since meeting the Hellsing heir, he had been extremely intrigued with the mystique surrounding Christina Elizabeth Hellsing. He decided to investigate more about the girl.
He first looked at the girl's birth certificate and other records containing information about the girl's birth. He wasn't surprised to find out that they were sealed. He tried to acquire it through other, unofficial means, but he was told that the records he sought were no longer kept at the register. They were kept somewhere else.
Next, he tried to have a look at the child's school records. They were easily acquired. He noted absently that the girl got excellent marks in all her subjects and was well received by her teachers. However, on the part of guardianship and parentage, the only names he saw there were Walter's and Integra's. There was no mention of a father. Intriguing. Anderson thought.
Although single parenthood had long been accepted into English society, Anderson knew that most top schools still frown on them. Christina had been into the best schools the kingdom could offer. Integra must have used her considerable influence to get her daughter into these schools without question.
If the Hellsing bitch had a child while still unmarried and with a vampire as Alexander thought, he was sure the Queen would have been very displeased with Integra. However, she was not. There were even rumors that since the birth of the child, the relationship between the Crown and Hellsing had steadily grown stronger.
Alexander dismissed the theory that the Queen simply didn't know. The Queen was a smart, well-informed woman. She would have known if the Hellsing bitch were consorting with her damned pet.
If Alucard were not the girl's sire, then who was? What would explain the color of the heir's eyes? Anderson frowned in thought, then smiled. It would be worth the effort to find the answers to his questions.
However, there was another troubling development he was worried about, this time in his own division. Enrico Maxwell was frequently not in his office, which was unusual for him. Other than that, there was a tight, secretive look on the man's face that Anderson found suspicious.
"Father? Is anything wrong?" a small boy asked, looking at him with wide blue eyes.
Alexander smiled at the boy. "No, my child, nothing is wrong." For now, he didn't add.
*******
"You're going to dine with the King? That's so exciting, Chris!" Anna Katrina Rothschild exclaimed, looking at her best friend with wide eyes. She shook her best friend's hand. "You're so lucky."
Christina permitted herself a smile. She and her best friend were in her room, talking. She had just told her about the king's invitation. Christina didn't feel all that lucky right now.
"What are you going to wear?" Anna asked excitedly.
She shrugged. "I have no idea. Celes and I are going shopping later today for an outfit," she replied in a disinterested voice. Shopping wasn't exactly one of her favorite activities. Celes had been very enthusiastic about the trip, though.
Anna frowned at Christina's tone. She narrowed her eyes as she studied the Hellsing heir. Though Christina's face was characteristically expressionless, Anna could see the troubled look in her scarlet eyes. "All right, Chris. What's wrong?" she asked. "Don't try to deny it. I know you."
Christina smiled slightly at her best friend. No, Anna. You don't really quite know me, she thought. I don't even know myself. "I'm just thinking…you know, about what happened two days ago." Actually, that wasn't exactly the reason why she was preoccupied today. She was thinking about Alucard's answer to her question.
No.
Christina didn't know what exactly she felt when she heard Alucard's reply. Part of her was relieved, but another part was sorely disappointed. The latter part was the one she was most bothered about.
Oblivious to her best friend's thoughts, Anna declared, "We're not going to talk about that. I've had enough of that from Rachel and Michael."
"How is Rachel, by the way?" she asked. "Is she still staying at Harker's?"
Anna nodded. "She's still in shock, you know, about what happened to her family." She then looked away, her lips tightening into a thin, but trembling line. "I don't want to talk about it, Chris. I want to forget about it."
Christina was suddenly angry with her best friend. "You've been spending a lot of time with Michael, it seems. Do you think forgetting about it will make it go away? It doesn't work that way, Kat."
"Can you blame me? I'm scared, Chris. I'm not like you. You're brave. I'm not."
"Bravery has nothing to do with what I'm saying, Kat. The vampire's still alive, and he's after us. Forgetting about it won't help, because he sure as hell wouldn't forget us." Christina hesitated for a moment before she said, "He came here after he killed the Gautiers. He told me he killed Jean-Luc because he saw that…ritual."
Anna eyes widened in shock. "He–he–he came here? Did he hurt you?" she asked in a concerned voice.
Christina hesitated for a moment. She still couldn't remember if she had been injured that night or not. "He didn't hurt me," she finally said. "He just talked to me."
Her best friend smiled in relief. "That's good."
Christina tried to smile back, but barely managed to. She would have preferred the vampire to attack her rather than talk to her. His words had opened a can of worms Christina wasn't sure she was prepared to deal with.
*******
"Have you found anything yet?" Integral Wingates Hellsing asked Walter as she entered the library. Walter was poring over ancient books, hoping to find some clue about the ritual that Christina's friends had seen.
Walter shook his head. "Nothing significant yet, Sir Hellsing. We had our people look into it as well." He flipped over some of the pages of the book. "However, judging from what Miss Christina recounted about what her friends saw, I can surmise that the vampire was performing some kind of summoning ritual. What or who he is summoning, I can only guess."
"Like Incognito?" Even after all these years, the mere thought of the vampire's name made Integra worried. It made her remember a moment in time that she almost lost everything she valued. She had been incredibly lucky to get back everything she had nearly lost. It had been a good thing that the Queen was on her side.
Walter nodded. He frowned. "We really don't need another one like him." The old man smiled faintly. "I'm getting too old for that kind of excitement."
Integra permitted herself a small, affectionate smile at the man who was quite like a second father to her. "I told you to retire years ago, Walter, but you would not listen to me."
"I would not leave Lord Integra alone."
There was a faint knock at the door. "Come in," Integra said.
"Good afternoon, mother," Christina said as she stepped into the library. Behind her was her best friend, Anna Katrina Rothschild. Anna glanced around apprehensively. The Hellsing library was huge, and was filled with hundreds, possibly thousands of old and rare books.
"Good afternoon, Lady Hellsing," Anna greeted Christina's mother. Integral Hellsing was still as intimidating and dignified as ever. As always, Christina's mother wore a suit. There was a serious look on her face. "Good morning, sir," she said to Walter.
"Good afternoon, Anna." Integra gestured for them to take a seat. Anna sat down, but Christina remained standing. "Have you told you parents about what happened to you recently?"
Anna shook her head. "No. My parents wouldn't believe me. They'd think we were just playing tricks for cheap thrills–like beating the red light when there's a constable watching."
"I see." Integra studied the girl for a moment with intent ice blue eyes. Anna fought the urge to cower. "Christina tells me you saw a symbol. Do you think you can identify it?" She gestured towards the books.
"I'll try." Anna went over to where Walter was and glanced at the sketches of various symbols. She skimmed over them, trying to remember the symbol she saw. As Walter slowly flipped the pages for her benefit, something caught her eye. "That's the one!" she exclaimed triumphantly. She pointed at a curiously drawn inverted pentacle inside a circle. Various alien symbols were written at each point. "That's the one I saw. I'm quite sure of it!"
Integra glanced at it and suddenly felt cold. She knew what that symbol was for. "It's a power circle," Anna remarked from behind her.
"How did you know, Kat?" Christina asked. She didn't expect her best friend to know anything mystical.
Anna smiled slightly. "Jean-Luc told me. Don't you remember? He used to talk a lot about mystical stuff. He even owned some kind of 'Book of Shadows'. Anyway, he said that this kind of symbol was used to draw out power from a certain power point. He also said that the kind of power you draw out could be influenced by how you draw the circle. I'm not sure why, but that's what he said." Anna shrugged. "He also said the color of the aura of the power would tell you what kind of power he was summoning."
The room suddenly became very quiet for a few moments. Then, Anna asked, "What's the vampire going to do with the power?"
Christina took the cue from there. "You know, I think we should go find that perfect dress. It's getting late."
"Oh, the dress. I've nearly forgotten about that. Am I coming with you?" Anna asked her best friend, her eyes brightening with excitement. Anna loved shopping.
Christina nodded. "Of course. You are my fashion adviser, after all." She smiled, not because she was amused, but because she had successfully diverted her best friend's attention. She glanced at her mother, whose face was expressionless as usual. "We're leaving now, Mother. Celes would be coming with us." Celes was to be her constant bodyguard.
Integra nodded. "Be careful. Don't stay out too late."
Christina smiled. "Of course, Mother. I'll see you later." She took her best friend's hand, and led her towards the door. As soon as the door was firmly shut, Alucard materialized out of the shadows.
"So the vampire is summoning something, eh?" Alucard remarked, smiling malevolently.
"Then it is our job to destroy him before he summons anything troublesome," Integra remarked crisply. What was the vampire summoning? Some creature from Hell? Whatever it was, it was her job to make sure it was destroyed, along with the vampire.
*******
Christina met up with Celes shortly after they left the library. "Are you girls ready?" she asked cheerfully as she led them to the limousine that would take them to the various shops in London. Christina recognized the driver as Richard Farrington, a former member of the Special Air Service or SAS.
Christina smiled slightly at her. She liked Celes, although she didn't show it often. The former policewoman had the unfortunate tendency of catching Christina in her foul moods, so she often found herself being lashed at by the young heir of Hellsing. Celes accepted her treatment with equanimity. She was always patient and submissive with the Hellsing heir, an attitude that sometimes puzzled Christina.
"Who is she?" Anna asked the first time she met Celes, which was today.
"A distant relative," had been Christina's vague reply. She couldn't say Celes was a former policewoman whom Alucard had turned into a vampire in order to kill some FREAK. She was thankful that Celes at least acted and dressed like a normal human, unlike her sire, who looked so otherworldly.
"By your father's side?" Anna wanted to know.
Christina was caught off-guard by that remark. She gave her best friend a small smile that revealed nothing of what she felt. "What makes you think so?"
"You have the same eye color. Besides, you resemble each other somehow."
Now, standing in front of Celes, Christina couldn't help staring at her, trying to see what Kat had seen. Finally, she said, "Yes, we're quite ready, Celes. Shall we go?"
As they drove away from Hellsing, Anna remarked, "I'm sorry to say this, Chris, but I'm really glad I got out of your house. I mean no insult, but it's just so oppressive in your house, like someone's watching my every move."
Celes and Christina traded a knowing look. Christina rarely invited anyone into the house for one single reason: Alucard. Though Christina trusted Alucard with her life, she wasn't confident she could trust him with another person's life, specifically her best friend's.
*******
Shopping for the perfect dress turned out to be a tiring chore. Christina was tired from fitting, from walking from one shop to another, from standing still as Celes and Anna studied and scrutinized her dress, trying to decide whether it was fit enough to be worn in the presence of the King of England.
Finally, after nearly two hours, they found the perfect dress for the occasion. It was a wine-colored silk slip dress that was cut just above her knees. It came with a gauzy shawl decorated with tiny multi-hued embroidered flowers and scattered rhinestones that matched the design on the hem of the dress. Celes and Anna were positively gushing about the dress.
Christina nearly blushed at the sight of her wearing it. "It's something you would wear, Kat," she protested.
However, Anna would not hear of it. "You look great in it! It brings out the color of your eyes and hair! You're so beautiful, Chris!"
Christina turned to Celes. "What do you think?" she asked the vampire.
"You look beautiful in it, Lady Hellsing," Celes remarked, smiling. The young heir looked absolutely gorgeous and extremely feminine. Celes wondered if this was what Lord Integra would have looked like when she was at Miss Christina's age and wearing a dress.
Anna laughed. "See? Even Celes agrees with me. It's settled then. This is the dress."
Christina glanced at the mirror. The dress did look nice on her. "Don't you think it's a little too sophisticated for my age?" When it came to fashion, Christina was nearly clueless about it. Her upbringing and her heritage were probably the reasons why fashion was such a mystery to her. Who would have time to find out what the popular hemline or material was when hordes of monsters were knocking at one's doorstep?
Her best friend shook her head. "You look great in it, all right?" She pursed her lips. "Now that we have the dress, let's look for the perfect shoes and accessories."
Christina tried hard not to groan at that.
*******
So, after several more hours, they were finally finished. However, armed with Integra's credit cards, not only did they buy Christina a dress, they also bought her other kinds of clothes and shoes and other whatnots–all of which would be delivered at the Hellsing manor tomorrow. Christina was a little surprised at the amount they spent. She hoped her mother wouldn't get angry with her when she saw the bills.
After dropping of Anna, Christina leaned back on her seat. "The vampire didn't show up," she observed.
The former policewoman nodded. She was glad the day was almost over. They were now just a few more miles before reaching Hellsing manor. The limousine slid into a rarely used road. Fog was slowly but steadily rising, so they drove slowly and carefully.
Then without any warning at all, something heavy dropped on the roof of the limousine, denting it. The car screeched into a sudden halt, hurling the two girls forward. Quickly raising her head, Celes saw Richard reach for his gun. Celes did the same. They listened.
Unbearable silence reigned in the car. Christina could clearly hear everyone's breathing. "What are you doing?" she hissed to the driver. "Get us out of here," she commanded calmly.
The driver quickly obeyed. However, before they could get any further, several ghouls appeared and blocked their path. "Ram them down," Christina ordered flatly as she pulled out her own gun. She leaned back on her seat as she braced herself when the limousine rammed into some ghouls. She turned to Celes. "Are you ready?" she asked the vampire she cocked her gun.
Celes nodded. She glanced back. The ghouls were still chasing them. "Lower the windows!" Celes shouted. As soon as the windows were lowered, Celes and Christina began to fire.
Suddenly, a ghoul leapt to their windshield. The car swerved sharply, trying to shake off the ghoul. They couldn't come into the car, Celes thought. The body of the car was made up of a very tough armor and the windows were made out of bulletproof glass. It would take a long time before they could get in.
There was another loud thud on the roof of the car. The thud was followed by clawing, tearing sounds. "Shake them off!" Celes shouted to Richard as she fired at another ghoul.
"I'm trying!" Richard shouted back, "but–" Suddenly, there was a crash and Richard's words faded into a horrible gurgle. Celes turned to Richard, and found herself staring at a grinning young woman with a pair of red eyes. Her hand had gone through the windshield and she was gripping a convulsing Richard by the neck, her fingernails digging into the man's flesh, drawing blood.
The car swerved violently. Celes fired at the hand, managing to separate it from its owner. She grabbed the wheel to gain some control over the car, but it was too late. The car rammed into a post.
The noise was awful. Celes was thrown forward, nearly smashing through the window if Christina had not grabbed her and pulled her back. Celes looked around. After their crash, the ghouls seemed to have disappeared. The place suddenly became very quiet.
Celes looked inquiringly at Christina. "Should we get out of the car?"
Christina took a deep breath. If they didn't go out, the ghouls might surround them or set fire to the car. "Let's get out of the car. Celes, you go out first."
Celes obediently got out, all her senses in full alert. The fog was thicker now, making it hard for her to see, even when she was using her vampire-sharpened vision. She signaled to Christina. Master! Celes called out using her mind. She wished with all that might that he'd hear her. We need your help!
As Christina stepped out of the car, Celes sensed a familiar but unwanted presence. Turning around, she saw the female vampire heading towards them, red eyes gleaming malevolently. "Get behind me, Miss Christina!" Celes ordered, moving in front of her, gun raised and ready to fire. The vampire suddenly began to run with incredible speed, and leapt at Celes before she could fire a bullet. The two struggled against each other, snarling and clawing.
"No! Celes!" Christina started to help Celes, but she caught another presence, much more familiar and more sinister than the first. Whirling around, Christina heard a familiar musical voice before a sudden languor came over her. She slumped forward, and was caught by a pair of arms. The last thing she saw before she succumbed to darkness was the face of Jean-Luc's murderer smiling at her.
Meanwhile, Celes had managed to hurl the female vampire away from her. Looking around for Christina, she was horrified to find her cradled in another vampire's arms–the vampire that attacked Hellsing. Before she could move towards them, the female vampire leapt at her, knocking her down. As she struggled with the vampire again, she saw the vampire and Christina disappear into the fog.
"NO!"
*******
In another part of London, Alexander Anderson also found some startling news. Holding the paper numbly in his hands, he stared at it for a few moments.
In his desire to find out the paternity of the Hellsing heir, he found himself looking for a record of marriage–the marriage of Integral Wingates Hellsing. He didn't expect to find one or for such as thing to exist, since as far as he knew, Integra was never married, but it never hurt to try. In his opinion, Integra was far too headstrong to get married, to let herself be dominated by a man.
However, that was until he was handed down a document. A document that said that Integral Wingates Hellsing, Lord of Hellsing, was married to Lord Christopher Henry Greystone, Twentieth Earl of Greywall.
The document was dusty, yellowed with age. It was found lying on the floor in a forgotten room filled with forgotten documents. The one who found it was an orphaned Catholic who had once been one of his charges. He was ordered to clean the room when he found this lying on the floor. He immediately gave this to Anderson.
"Oh, God."
~T.B.C.~
Hehehehe...I know...I'm evil...
This chapter all but made up for the missgivings I may have had about the other one, but in a way it still dosn't answer my questions about parentage of our young heroine. Damn it all!! I have to do a little more waiting. *Grumble, grumble, grumble*