• 1-Soulless Doll
• 2-Time to Meet the Neighbors
• 3-Tremors From the Past
• 4-ergh
• 5-Moving Statues
• 6-Never Free
• 7-Come Away With Me
• 8-Combat Training
• 9-Garden Party
• 10-One Step Forward and Two Back
• 11-Meet the Watteaus
• 12-Play Time Is Over
• 13-After Dinner Show
• 14-Mes Papillions
• 15-Late Night Reading
• 16-I Remember You
• 17-Did everyone fall in a hole?
• 18-Blurry Little Line
• 19-Brother Dearest
• 20-Waking Dreams
• 21-Not Again
• 22-Promise?
• 23-En Garde
• 24-Healing
• 25-Personal Issues
• 26-Looking for Trouble
• 27-Brief Hiatus
• 28-The City That Fell Into the Sea
• 29-My Unwitting Master
• 30-United We Stand
• 31-Quiet Time for Monsters
• 32-Our Last Days
• 33-Doom on the Horizon
• 34-Another Facet of Your Beauty
• 35-Chapter 31

Integra: Glad you liked the last chapter. Sorry about not complying with "soon" but better late than never. I've already moved on to writing the next chapter, and I'm out of school, so let's see how much I can get done, hmm? Read on and enjoy.

DCM: Glad you like my one-liners! Yeah, Esoteric kinda sputtered and died. Lazy-ass muse. He's getting fat like me too. Blighter. Well, the inked sketches of all the kids are up on myspace. I put Aurora up last night. I know it's totally been forever, but I write more when I'm depressed, so it's sorta good, right? Oh well, here's more. Hope you like it, cause I cranked it out just for you!

DP: Glad you liked it. I kinda got tired of the Alex using Seras as a therapist scenario, so now we'll get more from Integra's late-night reading. I'm glad you like reading more about Alex. She's gonna be as vulnerable as vulnerable gets coming up, so hopefully I'll maintain my record! Read on and enjoy.

Min: lol I like Tres too. Instigator. In a hot androidy sort of way. Sorry I made you wait so long. I'm terrible I know. *glares at her Muse and then starts drooling and forgets what she was mad about to begin with* This is why writing doesn't get done....

Chapter 29: Doom on the Horizon

January 23rd

It’s raining again. I grow restless and I can feel the twins beginning to actually move on their own. I find this quite fascinating as I should just now be on the cusp between the first and second trimester. From what little tidbits I’ve read in bookstores along our travel routes, human mothers feel their first quickening around the fifth month of pregnancy. So, they’re nearly a full two months ahead of normal human development. That is, assuming that a Crusnik’s gestation is approximately thirty-six to forty weeks in duration, same as a human’s. Feeling such clear evidence of the lives within me always takes my breath away. I have also grown quite larger than would be normal for a woman just finishing her first trimester. I’m not sure if that should be attributed to the presence of twins, their speeded development, or both. Hugue has been the perfect companion: doting on me and looking after my every comfort. I would be lost in this journey, leaving behind whatever weak foundation I’d begun, were he not at my side.

I try so hard to keep my thoughts from wandering toward Abel. As in all forms of self-restraint, I find myself utterly failing in this endeavor as well. I can’t help but wonder if he regrets his last words to me. I can’t help but wonder how I managed to get tangled in this colossal mess. My mind keeps replaying my last moments with Abel, pausing on his infuriated face. Am I really tainted? Is one of my children doomed to become exactly the same as his father? Will I be forever hopelessly linked to Cain?

Why has he chosen me to bear his child? I wonder everyday how much of his tale was true. I wonder if he truly watched over me, protected me and was the originator of all my near misses in this lifetime. I thought I was merely lucky. Did he orchestrate my mother’s death? I’d always felt as though it were somehow my fault, for all the times I’d wished her dead. Maybe it really was my fault.

One of the boys is pressing on my bladder quite uncomfortably. They squirm all the more when I let myself fall into these melancholy mental wanderings. I wonder if they fight over the best spot to sleep in. I wish I could tell if they’re fighting or cuddled up together. I wish I could see if they suck their thumbs! Hugue is asleep on his bed on the other side of our sleeper car. We’ve been taking trains and continuously traveling for almost three months now. We’re winding our way through The Kingdom of Franc now. Hugue’s so peaceful when he sleeps. He’s almost completely lost the scowl that he wore when I first met him. I always catch him smiling at me as I stare out the windows while the world goes by in a blur

I don’t know what I would do without Hugue. About a week ago he asked me to marry him. I refused. I told him that I didn’t want to marry until things had settled down, until we settled down. I don’t even know what I’m running from, but something in my bones is telling me to keep moving. He says he understands, but I could see that my rejection wounded him. I feel so terrible for having said no. He looks so sweet when he sleeps and all I can think is that I don’t deserve him. I want to say yes, to live happily with him, but the thought terrifies me. The thought of being a mother and a wife terrifies me. What if I’m terrible at both? Another part of me still pines for Abel. I truly hate myself that I can’t let him go. I go to bed every night praying that it is a nightmare, a nightmare I will wake up from. My prayers are never answered.

I’ve finally filled the pages of this journal. I never thought I’d fill the whole book. The next time we stop I will buy another. Hugue is encouraging my journaling. He says I seem more relaxed after I write. I’m sure he would be happy to help me select another blank book if it meant my continued writing. I wonder if anyone will ever read these pages except me. Whoever you are, I’m sure you think I’m nuts. Until the next town and the next book, then.

-Alexandra

Integra closed the book with a soft thud, watching the dust swirl in the early morning light. She rose to pull the curtains closed, a headache forming behind her eyes. She hadn’t fed enough and the light was more taxing than normal. She felt like she always felt after finishing a good book: empty. There was more of the tale, but she couldn’t continue just then. Most of the handwritten journal had been a backward glance of sorts, Alexandra’s recounting of all the events from the time she first met Abel in a small church on the outskirts of Rome, to the day she’d fled with Hugue. Integra felt the keen injustice of Alexandra’s situation. She felt some sort of quiet kinship with the woman, having been thrust into many a crappy situation herself. She had a new respect for the woman, having been captured and tortured, raped and eventually turned into a Crusnik against her will. She sighed and gave the curtains a superfluous tug, double checking that there was no gap for light to filter through before she sank wearily into her coffin.

She’d always hated her coffin and left the lid open whenever possible. She found herself wondering what Alucard was doing, what he would think of Alex’s story. The blonde scoffed quietly to herself as she rolled on her side, knowing exactly how Alucard would react to such emotional drivel. Integra closed her eyes and called softly to her keeper, her ears pricked for any response. It took mere moments for Alucard to materialize at her back, a hand snaking over her side. Alucard’s dark voice sounded softly in her ear.

“You called, Master?”

“Will you stay near today, Alucard?”

“My room is right next to yours, as it always is, Master.”

“I know that, Alucard.”

“You mean closer than the room next door then, Master?” She could hear his smug grin, but he tightened his grip on her protectively, his fingers splaying over her abdomen.

“Don’t be smart, Alucard.” Integra’s tone wasn’t as sharp as usual, but weary and strained.

The two were quiet for several moments and Integra knew he was trying to sift through her thoughts. Luckily for her, she had learned long before her immortal years began how to shut her mind to him. He struggled nonetheless.

“Alucard?”

“Yes Integra?”

“What would you do if I weren’t here?” Alucard was quiet, puzzled by her sudden question.

“I would go to wherever you were.”

“What if someone was trying to kidnap me or kill me?”

“I would destroy them. How many times in our centuries together has someone tried to kill you? I never let them succeed.”

“What if someone had spent my entire lifetime following me and knew every intimate detail of my life and had forced the flow of my lifetime. If they sought to undo me in every conceivable way, what would you do?” Again, Alucard was quiet, not quite sure what to make of her question.

“I would lay this world bare to save you, Integra. You belong to me and I belong to you. No one can take you from me. No divinity, no devil, no Terran, Methuselah, or Nosferatu could take you from me. I would cast their very soul into Hell with my own two immortal hands.”

Alucard’s fingers pressed against her stomach, pressing her back against his chest as he nuzzled into her hair. True, Alucard was a monster and an all around ass hole most of the time. He spent most of his waking hours acting smug and trying his very best to get on her last nerve. His referral to her as “Master” was more an insult than a true show of submission, and he dominated her body and soul, but he truly loved her. In their own twisted sense, they had come to love and depend on one another, even if it was only to be there to see the end of time together. She felt immensely relieved by Alucard’s seemingly boundless power, but at the same time, she felt sorry for Alex, that she could only find such power in herself. Integra’s eyes grew heavy with the rising day and her last words came in a hushed whisper.

“We need each other, in our own strange way, don’t we?” Integra’s eyes closed and she was lost to sleep before Alucard ever had a chance to respond.

Alex’s heels clicked sharply as she strode down the stone hallway toward Cardinal Sforza’s office. Tres and Abel, though both men were taller, with significantly longer legs, were having trouble keeping up with her pace. She wore her typical black corset, but again adopted a pair of black leather pants instead of her usual long flowing gowns. She’d also forgotten her impossibly tight bun, leaving her hair half up and half down. Her full length leather coat fell softly around her boot-clad ankles as she rapped on the Cardinal’s doors. A curious smile curved her painted lips as she recalled the day she’d smashed these doors into kindling. She felt as though she didn’t know the young girl who’d done it.

“Come in.” The Cardinal’s voice was quiet behind the thick wooden doors.

“Mother.” Alex inclined her head as she entered, Abel and Tres following her. “Ah, good morning, Vaclav.”

“Good Morning, Lady Watteau.”

Lady Catherina caught the slight wince as Alexandra moved to lean against the windowsill. Abel sat across from the Cardinal and Tres took his post by the Lady’s side, relieving Vaclav.

“So, what is it that you needed to tell us?” Alex gave her adopted mother a genuine, albeit tired, smile.

“In three days the Queen of Albion and the Empress of the New Human Empire will be coming to the Vatican to discuss a written peace agreement between the three authorities.”

Abel’s jaw dropped, but Alex’s face remained passive, though it had lost some of its color. She turned to look out the window, letting the information sink in.

“So, Alessandro has finally stopped listening to Francesco.” Alex’s mouth settled into a strained line.

“He hasn’t completely stopped listening to him. I don’t always disagree entirely with Francesco, but he resorts to violence all too quickly. At any rate, His Holiness is tired of feuding and wishes to end this pointless conflict as officially as possible. Her Majesty, the Empress, will be lending us some of her most trusted staff so that we may outfit the Vatican in anticipation of receiving Methuselah delegates in the future.” The Cardinal sounded as though she’d practiced this little speech.

“The Vatican is going to have a particle dome like the one surrounding Byzantium?” Abel sounded just as dumbfounded as he looked.

“We only have three days, then?” Alex’s voice was soft, almost mournful.

“Yes, they will be here in three days. The only people outside this room that know the exact day and time are the Queen and Empress themselves.” The Cardinal’s eyes were locked on Alex’s ashen face.

“We must prepare then.” Alex pulled away from the window, moving towards the door. “Cain will be here in three days.”

“You mean to tell me that you believe Cain will storm the Vatican itself?” Alex quietly marveled at her mother’s ability to keep her monocle in place when her eyes were so wide with shock.

“Yes. What better way to plunge the world into a second Armageddon? He can destroy the Pope, you and Francesco, the Empress, and the Queen. He will quickly spread the news that the Methuselah arrived planning to kill the Pope and that the Pope likewise had forces ready to strike down the Empress. In the mean time, he will...” Alex broke off, her voice cracking. “He will kill Aurora and Ilarius and kidnap me and Cendricus.”

“Alexandra, we don’t know that for sure. We have no evidence of Cain’s movements, not even a whisper of where he’s taken his coven.” Abel tried his best to sound reassuring, but Alex’s jaw was set and her mind was made up.

“That is precisely why I’m convinced that this is his plan. He’s been silent for far too long. He hasn’t let word of his plans slip. He used to taunt us, to relish the game of cat and mouse, but now he’s hiding and skulking in the shadows. That means this plan is too large scale and requires precision and absolute flawless execution.” Alex returned to the window, her hands wringing one another, though her face was stoic. “This will be his Magnum Opus, don’t you see?”

“Alexandra. It sounds just like his reasoning, and after all the information you’ve collected and cataloged regarding the Contra Mundi coven, nobody understands his moves better than you, but there’s simply no reason to get yourself worked up until we’ve found some proof of his movements. We will be on high alert, as we have been, but we don’t know for sure that he’s coming here.” Abel stood and approached her, wanting desperately to reassure her, knowing all the while that she was probably right.

“It has nothing to do with the years I’ve been hunting his coven. He’s always left a piece of himself in my mind. He has truly tainted me. I feel him moving towards us, even now.”

“Alexandra.” Abel sounded completely dismayed and Alex could hear his heart beat faster with panic. He had taken her words the wrong way.

“I didn’t mean to... use those words, Abel. The children have felt it too. They complain of a buzz that never dies away, as though their nanomachines are constantly active. He is near.” Abel gripped her shoulders and nuzzled behind her ear, pulling her back against his chest.

“He will not have you. We have our own arsenal and help from the Hellsing group. We will train and we will be ready when the time comes.” Abel’s voice had hardened, become more confident.

“We are stronger than Cain because his forces are held together by fear, whereas ours are held together by love. Love is a powerful thing, Alexandra. Never doubt it.” Catherina smiled at the two of them, her eyes misting over as she spoke. “You were worried that you would not know how to love your children, but look at the love you hold for them in your heart.”

“Yes.” Alex’s gaze was still cast out the window, but she nodded. “I know how strong love is. It is something that not even the vastness of time can erase.”

As Alex spoke, she covered Abel’s left hand with hers, leaning more fulling against him.

Alucard smiled, listening intently to this emotional exchange between the Crusnik “children” and the Cardinal. So, Cain and his coven were on the way. This was all fascinating to Alucard. Though he had no doubts that he could suppress the young upstart, it would prove interesting to fight a Crusnik and his pet Vampire. He wondered if they fought together as a team as well as he and Integra did. Then again, how could they? There was no way Cain trusted Isaak as much as Integra trusted Alucard. If Cain was truly coming for Alexandra and one of the twins, then there was no way he truly loved Isaak. How could Cain hope to win a battle against Alucard, when he didn’t love Isaak in the same fierce way that he loved Integra? Alucard smiled into the darkened room, kissing Integra’s pale throat. The fight was already won.

Just in case you guys want to check it out, I've got colored pics of the twins and Aurora on my photobucket account:

the twins: http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m88/WaterGoddess_2006/theboysfinalink.jpg

Aurora: http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m88/WaterGoddess_2006/Aurorainkedfinal.jpg