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Midnight Roses	By : FlameWolf666 Category: Hellsing > Het - Male/Female Views: 7370 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do NOT own anyone or anything from the anime/manga Hellsing. This is not for profit and just for fun! Please don't sue!

Chapter List
- 25
- 26
- 27
Author's Note: Well… let's just say our new guest was a surprise to even me.
Chapter Twenty: Strength of Will
“She is a bloody soldier and she is under my employ! If she is well enough to fight then I have every right to send her into battle!” Integra snarled at Alucard while Maxine showered. When the argument had started, the soldier had taken advantage of the overprotective male's distraction and had sprinted for the bathroom. Allowing the hot water to roll over her pale body, Max closed her emerald eyes as she listened to the raised voices. All the arguing was pointless. No matter what Alucard had 'decreed', she was going on the mission her boss wanted to send her on.
Even after she had shut the water off, had dried herself and began dressing herself; the pair were still arguing. Letting out an irritated sigh as she tied her ebony hair into a ponytail, Max rolled her vibrant eyes before turning the knob and reentering her room. “If you will not allow me to send her and you refuse to be parted from her, what do you suggest I do? Miss Victoria has been getting better but she is still nowhere near your power,” the flaxen haired femme bit out, her voice ragged with exasperation and desperation. Before the glowering vampire could form a response, Maxine was coming up to stand beside the enraged heiress.
“What's going on, sir,” the warrior hissed, going into soldier mode as she kept her gaze locked with her commander's. To Integra's credit, she was only startled for a second before she eased back into her role.
“There appears to be a strange vampire lurking around London. From all the descriptions I have received, it sounds like Raoul has survived,” the steely eyed woman replied, her imposing gaze holding sympathy as she took a long drag from her ever present cigarillo.
Of all the things it could have been, that was the one she had expected the least. A shocked numbness flooded her body as both her heart and lungs simply stopped functioning. Raoul had survived her blowing his head off with a blessed round, not only that but he had come back. The knowledge made her sway in place slightly as her vision began to gray around the edges. Even her heart and lungs seemed to simply halt function as time almost froze around her. Was the blonde in his right mind or still being controlled by Radu? How long had he been controlled before her first encounter with him? Would he be able to forgive her for killing him? All these questions and more made her head swim and she found herself very nearly fainting.
A call of her name came through the fog of panic and Maxine drew a breath instinctually as she came back to herself. As her eyes refocused, she saw both Integra and Alucard looking at her with concern. Giving them both a reassuring smile, the warrior forced herself to think about all this later. Right now all that mattered was finding her formal caretaker and assessing how big of a threat he was to Hellsing and London. “So you want us to go and do some reconnaissance. Can do sir,” Max chirped with false cheerfulness, giving a crisp salute.
“You're not going,” Alucard snarled, his baritone voice gruff with anger as he strode up to her in two steps. While intimidated by the anger rolling off him in waves, the independent female felt her blood boil at his order. He may have once been a Prince but she wasn't going to allow him to dictate her life.
“You dare to order me? Listen mister, just because we were once a thing and are very quickly moving in that direction again doesn't mean that you get to tell me what to do! I knew the risks involved when I got involved in the military. Hell, I wouldn't have been even considered for Hellsing if I couldn't hold my own! Whether you like it or not, this is my job! What kind of soldier would I be if I hid every time there was danger?” Max hissed, narrowing her eyes as she stood her ground. In her distraction, she didn't notice the amused look the heiress was giving them both.
Alucard tensed at her words, looking like he would like nothing more than to argue but found himself unable to. As much as he hated to admit it, she was absolutely right. Despite the fact that he very much wanted to protect her and keep her from ever seeing battle again, the fact was she had come here for a job. Clenching his gloved hands into tight fists, Alucard only gave a curt nod in response. “You are right but I will not be separated from you at any point. If the group is to split, you are to come with me,” the nosferatu hissed, turning his gaze to glare at Integra; as if he was daring her to argue with him.
The silver haired female only grinned knowingly before taking a long drag of her smoke. “Very well. Now if you'll both come with me, I'll brief you on what I would like you two to do,” the Hellsing heir stated, turning on her heel and walking out the door. Still glaring at eachother, the pair followed close behind. They were so focused on shooting eye daggers at eachother that they didn't even notice when they had entered Integra's office.
“Raoul was last seen near a popular nightclub known as 'Devil's Pitchfork'. I want you two to go down there and get visual. Follow him and see what he's up to. If he's making ghouls again, eliminate him,” the furious woman hissed, her glasses flashing and hiding her frightening expression.
Despite knowing full well what the orders were likely to be, Max still felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach. It had very nearly broken her to kill Raoul the first time. Could she handle killing him again if he was still a threat? Could she put aside her personal feelings for her only family and do her job? A firm hand on her shoulder drew her out of her thoughts and she looked up to see Alucard staring down at her. His goggles had slid down his nose to allow her to see his eyes. In the burning orbs, she saw sympathy and fierce protectiveness. “Understood Sir Integra,” Maxine replied, returning her gaze to the front and snapping a crisp salute.
“Now, given your history with the target, do you think you'll be capable of this job?” the heiress asked, the authority in her voice fading for genuine concern and sympathy.
“I'm a soldier first sir. Any personal feelings have to come after the job is done. I can't allow personal feelings to interfere with the safety of millions,” the soldier replied, a cold mask of professional indifference on her pale face. The only person that knew of her inner turmoil was the vampire next to her. Instead of bringing attention to the fact that he could smell her reluctance, Alucard merely gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. If she hesitated, he would take care of it.
Integra gave her a curt nod before switching her gaze to the towering male behind her. “Seras will meet you downstairs with Captain Bernadotte. You are to come up with a game plan together and depart immediately,” the commander ordered, dismissing them with a wave of a gloved hand. The pair bowed in unison, turned and left; Alucard staying very close to Max. The soldier braced herself, inwardly expecting him to question if she could kill Raoul as well. She honestly didn't know the answer to the question. She knew her duty but would her heart actually allow her to pull the trigger a second time? Thankfully they reached their destination without incident and Maxine found herself looking up at the smarmiest man she had ever seen.
Every line of his lithe body screamed of arrogance. Even his posture was one of self assurance and even held a slight seductive edge. He wore an Australian style, brown cowboy hat on his head and had a straw in his smirking mouth. Brown hair hung in his eyes, giving him a shaggy appearance and his one good eye glittered with inner mirth. As soon as he saw Max, his posture changed entirely. Straightening his green fatigue coat and preening like a peacock, the man that could only be Bernadotte prowled up to her like a panther. The foolhardy male wasn't even put off by Alucard's warning snarl, bending into a bow as he grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on the top. “What's a gorgeous thing like you doing here, let alone in the company of a beast like tall, dark and gruesome there?” he purred in a lightly accented voice, his long braid swaying to flop over his left shoulder.
Pulling her hand out of his gloved grasp as politely as possible, Maxine found herself seriously wondering if it was some required wear that she didn't know about or if it was some odd fetish. So far there hadn't been a person here that wasn't wearing gloves. Shaking off her strange thoughts, the warrior forced a smile for the over sure man. “I've been a soldier for years, since I could legally join up. Hellsing just happened to hire me,” she replied, deciding her relationship with Alucard was really none of Bernadotte's business.
“Anyway, I don't think we've been properly introduced. My name is Maxine Stone,” she continued, keeping eye contact with the taller man in front of her.
“Pip Bernadotte at your service,” he purred, smirking at her with an odd glint in his eyes. A glint that said he was going to do his best to seduce her away from the vampire to her right.
“Right, down to business. We're doing a twenty mile radius sweep of the area the night club is located in. Seras, you and Captain Bernadotte canvas the north end. Alucard and I will begin with the southern end. If we meet in the middle and we haven't found him, we'll have to plan from there,” the soldier began, inwardly pleased by the brief shocked look that crossed the male's face.
“Can do Max! Come on Pip! Let's get going,” the blonde urged, hefting her Halconnen over her right shoulder and leading the way out the front doors.
As soon as they were alone, Alucard was pulling her close against his side as his shadows enveloped them. “Stay very still, take a deep breath and hang on tight,” the nosferatu ordered in a gruff voice. Without pausing to ask questions, Max wrapped her arms tight around his waist and took a deep breath. Then she was shoved into an airless void of pure darkness and it was all she could do not to scream. Alucard was her only anchor in a darkness so profound she couldn't even see the nosferatu next to her. Instinctually distressed by what she wasn't seeing, Maxine burrowed her head into his side and closed her eyes as she waited for them to exit this horrible place.
The next thing she knew it felt like her feet were once again touching the ground and a nose was nudging at her forehead. Taking in a deep breath of sweet oxygen, Maxine opened her eyes to see Alucard staring down at her over his orange goggles with concern in his intense orbs. Giving him a weak smile, the shaken female pulled away and took a few deep breaths to steady herself. “That was… rather disconcerting,” she stated, her voice still shaky from the instinctual fear she had felt in that void.
“It usually is for first timers. Traveling the between can be dangerous for mortals but you were safe with me,” the dark creature replied softly, looking around the area that they had appeared in.
“Any sign of him?” the soldier asked, trying not to think of just how dangerous what she just did truly was.
“He's heading this way already. Seems he scented us just as we arrived,” Alucard growled, his eyes shifting to a deep crimson as his posture went tense. Max only nodded, readying her weapon and moving towards a hidden alley at a fast clip. Whatever was going to happen, it wouldn't do for civilians to witness it. Seeing a person disappear into ash when shot was quite distressing to normal people. Her dark companion, of course, was right on her heels; not letting her be more than a few feet from him at any time.
It was only a few minutes later that Raoul cautiously walked by the alley the pair was hidden in. Just seeing the blonde again made her heart lurch in her chest and the warrior had to fight the horrible urge to run up and hug him. While she was exceedingly happy he had survived, she still had a job to do and couldn't let her emotions cloud her mind. Instead, she merely made a faint bird call; a call they had come up with together for when they were separated and she needed his help. The faint noise had the desired effect and the distraught looking vampire turned to look down the alley with a heartbreakingly hopeful glance. His sunset eyes widened when he saw not only Max but Alucard as well.
Giving the taller vampire a cautious look, Raoul slowly moved into the small passage; stopping a few feet from the pair. “Max, I…,” he began, not taking his eyes off the glowering male beside his adopted daughter. He was interrupted by a harsh snarl from Alucard as the powerful male's powers flared.
“We are not here for a social visit Raoul,” Maxine spat out with much more hatred than she actually felt. In all honesty, all she wanted to do was curl up in the other male's arms and sob until she had no more tears left within her.
“I… I know,” the blonde breathed before slipping to one knee in front of them and lowering his head in a show of submission and subjugation. Something that made bile rise in the back of the soldier's throat. This was normal behavior among vampires when one of their own did something that was considered 'against the rules of the coven'. Raoul was merely trying to show he was sorry, that he knew how wrong he was and that he was willing to submit himself to the mercy of the coven leader; in this case Alucard. Seeing her proud caretaker lower himself so genuinely bothered her but the camo wearing female made no move to interfere.
Alucard wasted no time stalking towards the prostrated vampire, glaring down at his blonde hair as he took in a deep breath of the other's scent. He could only smell sincerity, shame and resignation to death. “Do you swear to be loyal to me, to be my servant from this day forward, to be a mere dog who must answer to my every whim?” the crimson wearing monster hissed, his aura a thick red around him.
“I swear my loyalty on the Goddess of the night,” the blonde whispered, his voice more submissive than Max had ever heard it and certainly more than she ever cared to hear again.
“Do you accept what will happen to you if a disloyal thought even crosses your mind?” Alucard rumbled, sounding like the true alpha he was as he glared down at the bowing male before him. At that, the seasoned warrior winced. In this early stage, when there is little trust, if Raoul even had the notion of rebelling; Alucard would have every right to kill him and make sure he was dead. A fact that made the nausea from before come back full force. It was everything the poor woman could do not to lose her breakfast all over the stone of the alleyway.
“I do. If you feel a need to exact that right for the wrongs I have already committed, then I accept my fate,” Raoul replied quietly, his voice far too neutral for the severity of the situation. Fighting the urge to throw herself between the two vampires, Max crossed her arms over her chest and cupped her elbow to try to keep some semblance of control over herself. If she interfered, it would be a huge violation of code. In a normal coven, if a lower member dared to interfere with the punishment of a fellow it was seen as a major insult against the coven leader. It could show a lack of ability to control his lowers, a dangerous thing in large vampire societies.
Alucard went tense for a few moments, causing Maxine's heart to nearly stop in her chest from fear for her only family. Thankfully the powerful demon simply placed a gloved hand on the top of Raoul's head, nearly making the soldier behind him collapse in relief. “There will be no need for bloodshed on this day but know this. If you so much break a dish, you will be severely punished,” the older nosferatu hissed before resuming his place at Max's side.
“Have you made anymore ghouls?” the fatigue wearing woman asked, a cold professionalism in her voice that she didn't truly feel.
“I have not. I have no urge to make more now that…,” he began, trailing off into silence as he gave the pair a heartbreakingly sad glance. After the words left his mouth, Maxine looked up at the shadowy Prince beside her for confirmation.
“He does not lie,” the irate male replied to her silent question, keeping his gaze locked on the former enemy. The warrior only nodded in response before strapping her gun over her shoulder.
“Well, I know Integra wanted us to find you and not the other way around but I doubt she'll complain about a new recruit. Let's find Seras and Pip and go home,” she sighed in a weary voice before Alucard wrapped a leather covered arm around her shoulders. Getting a terrible feeling in her gut, Max looked up at her companion with an absolutely terrified look. The creature holding her only gave her an apologetic look.
Heaving a sigh, the soldier reluctantly gripped his waist tightly. Raoul came to stand on Alucard's other side, giving the other male a curt nod. Then Maxine took a deep breath and they disappeared into the between. Once again thrown into the roaring void, the distraught female squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to hang onto her sanity. Thankfully it only lasted a second and she felt the welcoming sensation of ground under her boots. “Ugh, I really hate that mode of travel and I've only done it twice,” the female groaned, reluctant to release the vampire or open her emerald eyes.
“The void of between can be distressing the first few times. You learn to get used to it,” the taller male assured, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and rubbing her upper arm.
“Master? Max? Wha? Isn't that Raoul?” asked a confused, familiar female voice. Sighing, Max pulled away from the nosferatu holding her and gave Seras a reassuring smile.
“The blonde has subjugated himself to me and my mercy. He has not made more ghouls since his resurrection,” Alucard explained before Maxine could even open her mouth.
“You vampires and your teleportation. I was hoping this was gonna take longer, maybe have a bit of bloodshed,” Pip groused, sounding rather put out by the fact that the pair had found the target so quickly.
“Personally, I'm glad this is done and over with. I thought it was going to take hours, if we even found him at all,” Max replied, still not releasing Alucard. Raoul was a vampire after all. The speed with which he had found them suggested they would have only found him if he had deliberately let them.
“Are you alright little one?” said blonde asked, concern in his burning eyes as he looked like he wanted nothing more than to take the distressed looking female into a tight hug. Alucard only shot the other vampire a warning glare, tightening his grip on Maxine's arm. Raoul, of course, held up his hands in surrender and took a few steps back to give the elder nosferatu some distance. Once there was a couple feet between them, the taller, crimson clad male relaxed slightly.
“I'll be okay once I get home and have a nice cup of tea,” Max sighed, burrowing her face into the leather of Alucard's trench-coat as she dreaded was was surely to come. The demon holding her only gave her an apologetic kiss on the top of her head.
“We will meet you two back at the manor,” the powerful male replied, making sure Maxine took a deep breath before the trio disappeared into the between. The shaking female only clung tightly to the invisible creature, shaking as she waited for the blessed feeling of solid ground under her feet. Once they returned to the courtyard of Hellsing, the soldier had to fight the urge to kiss the ground she stood on. If she never had to travel like that again, it would be too soon. Still shaking from the fear the void filled her with, Max pulled away from Alucard just enough to look at Raoul. How on Earth would Integra react to their newest acquisition?
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Midnight Roses