Legacy 1/?

[melrose_stormhaven]

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Hellsing or Dracula by Bram Stroker. They belong to someone else.

Freetalk: Hello! Welcome to the another chapter of Legacy. Thought you'd never see this again, did you?

Please note that the timeline is shifted to the past of the Hellsing anime/manga, just after Van Helsing and co. killed Dracula. The point of view may shift from first person to third person or vice-versa.

This will have a lot of allusion to the Stroker novel, so I suggest you read that first before you continue.

Dedicated to: Nice Guy and of course, this is for Stella and Eden.


Chapter I: The Book

Dr. Abraham Van Helsing's journal


"Good God, Jonathan! Why on earth did you–"

Sitting on a chair across mine, the young man looked up at me, his eyes unnaturally bright in the darkness of my study. "So they would know, Professor Van Helsing. So they could be warned of the dangers that await them." There was a hardness to his voice, a determined look in his young face that I had come to know so well in the years I have been his friend.

I looked at the book in my hand. Dracula by Bram Stoker, the title of the book was. Already it was selling like hotcakes all over London. Soon, its popularity will spread all over England and the world. Then people will want us to talk about it–to know if the tale told here is true. "Jonathan, the consequences of this book are–"

"Are far less than what the consequences of what you have done, Professor!" Jonathan Harker cut in, his voice loud and sharp. He slammed his palms on the table. His eyes were now glittering with anger. It took all of my will not to flinch from his rage. I have never seen him this angry before, except perhaps the day he came back to life. Harker's fury had been palpable then and had been frightening to behold.

"You know I had no choice on the matter," I said to him in a quiet voice. Jonathan cannot know, he cannot understand what I felt that moment I bound him to my blood, to my life and to the lives that would follow mine.

The young man raked his fingers through his hair, which was already snow-white because of what had happened to him in the castle in Transylvania. "You do not understand the fear, Professor. He hadn't been after you, or your wife! You have to understand what Mina and I go through, knowing that–that creature is still alive and here!" He shuddered as he spoke.

"Jonathan, my love," his lovely wife, Wilhemina Harker, said as she rose from her seat and touched her husband's arm in that gentle way of hers. "Do not shout. Professor Van Helsing understands that you meant well in having the book published." Dear Miss Mina smiled at me, that brilliant smile of hers that always tugged my heart, though this time it was a smile tinged with sadness, understanding...and fear.

I glanced at the book in my hand once more. It was thick and bound in black leather. Embossed in sinister-looking letters in red was its title. I do not know how exactly Jonathan managed to get the popular Irish playwright to write this book for him, but he did. I wonder how much Stoker knew. Here in this book were the events that documented what had happened years ago–events that should have been kept a secret. It was altered a bit, but it was truthful enough.

I've read the book, of course. My friends were accurately described. I, however, was depicted here as a widowed old man. In truth, I was in my late forties when we killed him. Hardly old. I wondered why Stoker made an old man in the book. Perhaps he had some literary reason for it. The wise old man in the stories…

"Why did you have to bring him back, Professor?" the young man asked me in a hoarse voice, his eyes filled with inhuman grief. It pained me to know it was I who caused it. "He tried to kill us. He tried to take my wife from me. Why? He should have been left for dead."

I smiled a bit sadly at the dear young man. "Because, my dear Jonathan, whether we like it or not, we need his help. Between the eradication of the human race and his resurrection, he is the lesser evil."

Jonathan Harker said nothing. He only stared at me, a bleak look in his eyes. Then he sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "I know, but I wish it was not so, Professor."

So do I, I thought, in many ways you'll never know. I patted him on his shoulder. "Enough about this. What is done is done. The book has already been published. We cannot undo the past. We can only move on, and hope to God Almighty that all will be well."

"I hope you are right, Professor, for all our sakes." Jonathan Harker rose from his seat, a grim, determined look on his face. "Well, I called to tell you that. Mina and I will be leaving."

"So soon? Will you not stay for supper? Marianne will be most disappointed." Marianne was my second wife, a distant cousin of Arthur Holmwood.

For the first time since entering my home, Jonathan Harker smiled. "Tell the Lady Marianne we are sorry. We cannot stay for supper. We must get home before dark." He gave me a meaningful look.

Mina went to me, and kissed me gently on the cheek. "Thank you, Professor," she whispered softly, "for understanding." Harker then took his wife's hand. "Come, Mina."

"Jonathan," I called as they reached the door. Jonathan turned to face me, a guarded look in his eyes. "Do not forget that the Knights have a meeting tomorrow night. We shall be expecting a full report, Sir Harker."

Jonathan bowed to me, a little mockingly, it seemed. "Yes, Sir Hellsing." A rueful smile touched his lips. "I'm still not used calling you that, Professor. I still cannot believe we had been knighted."

I only smiled back. We spoke no more as I escorted them out the door. The sky overhead was already turning into a dark smoky blue. My smile remained as I watched them get in their carriage. Miss Mina gave me a hearty wave, then in a few minutes, they were gone.

As I entered my house, I felt the oppressive feeling one gets when one was being watched secretly. I lifted my head, and said coldly, "Alucard." I should have known he would be eavesdropping in my conversation with Harker and his wife.

A deep mocking laugh came from the shadows in the room. I stood expressionless, as the owner of the laugh slowly materialized not far from me as it slipped away from the shadows. Curling threads of shadows swirled slightly. They first formed shoe-clad feet, then white-gloved hands, followed by a deep red ankle-length, long-sleeved coat that hid the rest of his body in shadows, finally forming a head topped by hair as dark as night and with it a devilish-looking handsome face that had deep red eyes and a mocking, fanged smile. He bowed at me, a bow every bit as mocking as his smile. "Yes, my Master?"

~T.B.C.~

Free talk, part 2: Thought you'd never see this fic again, did you. I was seized by a sudden inspiration, and out came this! I hope it was satisfactory. By the way, HH 15b will be out very soon. Just finishing it!

Why this chapter: I know I was supposed to discuss what happened after they vanquished Dracula, now known as Alucard, but I wanted to first clear matters regarding the book and Hellsing.

Next chapter: When Abraham Van Helsing and his friends got rid of Dracula, little do they know that it was only the beginning of a frightening legacy.

[pilot03]

Great chapter and looking forward to HH15b!!

[Shaoli]

Brave new perspective where plot is concerned, even though the emulation of Dracula's style of telling has been done before. (Nothing wrong with that! Few do it as well as you)

Dracula came out of a time where writers of books were learned and intelligent men, their works put under heavy scrutiny for accuracy and developed theme. It was six years in the making, from Stoker's earliest notes, even though the time span between the events in the book and the date of publication was three or four years (the time lapse which you noted in the fic. Bravo!)

You've managed to touch both the well-developed Dracula characters and portray something familiar out of the anime in this opening. Nicely done, melrose.

[Eden]

So good! Alucard bowing with his "Mocking fanged smile". Soo Good!!

I knew that you would get on with this fic eventually, but I thought that it may take a while. You have so much on your plate as it is! What is this? Your fourth story I'm wrapped up with currently? Crazy!

Now, I haven't read Dracula, but perhaps I shall if I can find the time. *Never enough of the stuff when you need it.* I don't think that I want to miss all the little refrences that your likly to throw in.

So exciting to see this, and I can't wait to see more! HH 15b, . . . ahh! So much to look forward to!

*Ahem!*

Anyways, I love where this is going and will definatly be looking for more.

Till next time!

~Eden

[melrose_stormhaven]

Yeah, Eden. I'm currently working on no less than ten stories, all of them multi-chapter.
You should read Dracula. It's very cool. As for HH15b, just a few more paragraphs....

Shaoli! Thanks! I'm actually amazed at Stroker's ability to describe places he'd never seen before. The 'Dracula' style is actually just for the first chapter...the next will be in third person. It's exhausting to write in first person...for me, anyway.

Pilot03!!! Don't fret. HH15b is on the way...just a few more...

[Amidala]

I can't wait... I love your writing.. ^_^

I find the first person challenging... I like it for some stories.. Got a review for my Bubblegum Crisis story. @_@ They guy totally misses the point of the story. *sigh*

[melrose_stormhaven]

I nearly fell apart writing Legacy in first person. It's very hard...That's why I'm writing the next chapters in third person. oh, amidala, I saw the fanfic you mentioned *sigh* some people just miss the point...