A/N: I just! Keep! Going! Okay, ONE more chapter and we're done, I swear. I'm trying to keep these as close to four pages as possible so they're more manageable and 'bite size' for you. But that also means I won't be able to pack in as much as I would normally. Guess we'll have to keep going. Damn the bad luck.

To my reviewers: Thank you so much for responding. I wasn't sure what kind of reception I'd get on this, especially considering how it's been done ad nauseam and because of how out of practice I've been, but knowing you've thoroughly enjoyed it so far keeps my drive alive. Thank you.

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Whole

Bloodlust nearly took over in that moment as Alucard's vision reddened and his entire body began to tremble, screaming at him to feed. Survival instincts were bypassing his rational thought process and his senses sharpened to a point at the artery in her neck. Though there was no pulse, it hardly mattered. The smell of fresh, warm blood in her was enough to be pushed to the brink. His mouth watered and his fangs lengthened as he slowly leaned in. A greedy snarl cut through the heated silence as his mouth opened and he tightened his grasp on her waist. Reflexively, her back arched in response and her breathing grew heavy with anticipation. It nearly drove him mad. It didn't matter that his seals were burning the flesh off the tops of his hands. It didn't matter that he could feel the pain traveling up to his shoulders.

His mate desired him. Ached for him to feed from her. The beast inside stirred violently, summoning the remainder of his strength from Integra's offered blood earlier that night to fuel him into a haze of savagery, mindless to anything but sustenance. Yet as it came to a head, as Alucard found himself seconds away from giving in, latching onto her neck, drinking to satiation, and claiming her on every surface of his lair all at once, he let out a ragged breath and gently pressed his lips to her skin instead, releasing her.

Seras pulled back, bewildered and probing. "Master?" The stab of rejection in her voice was palpable.

Collecting himself, he gave her a reassuring smile and nodded to the front entrance of his lair. "Not here. Not in this prison. Van Helsing may have taken away my free will, but he will not take away this. Come," he motioned to rise.

She clumsily unfolded her arms, slid off the seat, and stood. Confusion and trust fought for the upper hand in her half of their mind connection. For a brief moment, she almost looked like herself thirty years ago. That same wonderstruck child he had brought into the afterlife and underworld.

Standing, he inclined his head for her to follow and phased into the night beyond.

His atoms reconstructed outside the manor, outside the main gates. Outside of his jail cell.

A small wooded area circled the estate, complete with manicured gardens, billowing fountains, and meandering pathways. On nights when he was ordered to stay close by, Alucard found himself roaming this area, taking in the night as best he could manage through a cage. Tonight was special, however.

A moonlit sky illuminated much of the grounds and the city below. It was bustling with activity as humans readied themselves for a night out. What did they call it?

He grinned. Ah, yes. 'Painting the town red.'

All those beating hearts and pulsing arteries thrumming in his ears reached a deafening din as his vision began to blur.

"I can grab us a meal, if that's what you want instead," Seras materialized. The indifference in her tone sounded forced. "A lot has changed since you left. There are people into that kind of thing now. It's not strictly legal due to the obvious danger, but it still doesn't stop the profiteering black market or the idiot humans who hope to be turned in the process."

He chuckled bemusingly. "Nothing has changed since I left. Nothing about humans will ever change." He turned to her, now curious. "You would willingly find a host and contribute to the black market?"

Seras snorted in disgust. "No. I...have an arrangement with a few people. They've fallen on hard times and were left in the dust after the most recent recession. I feed on them occasionally - lightly - and donate a generous amount of money to help keep their families afloat. They're good people just trying to put their kids through school."

"Paid under the table to keep food on the table. Nothing original there," he remarked. "And in return, you have fresh food on retainer. Well done."

Seras chafed. "They're just trying to survive."

"As are we," he stated firmly. "I imagine the predicament this puts us all in, now that vampires are a known fact. Humans adapt more easily to a changing environment than we do, more often than not because they themselves catalyze the change we see. But everything has a price. Such is the way of the shortened lifespan of mortals and their vain desire to leave their mark on this world."

"I'm sure Integra will catch you up in your briefing tomorrow," she said impatiently, "so, is that a 'yes' for some take out, or...?"

Alucard shook his head and beckoned her. "We will be dining in tonight."

Something dark and urgent passed over her expression before she came to him. She linked her arm in his as they walked together through the wooded area. A gentle breeze played with the fit of his suit and tousled his hair. Although the night had a crisp chill to it, catching her scent sent ripples of heat through him. It was an almost identical picture to a time over one hundred and fifty years ago. Another breathtaking woman attached to his arm, ready and willing to spend an eternity with him, share in his joys, anger, love, and loss. It wasn't that long ago, and yet it felt like another life. The realization that it would work this time, that he had found a mate, that he had finally outsmarted his captors, was beyond exhilarating. Beyond mere bloodlust from starvation. He'd only been starving for three decades, while starving for a love that endured through the ages for over a century and a half. This was his chance to feel whole again. Or some semblance of it.

They came to a clearing in the trees far enough away from the manor to his liking. It was small but intimate. The perfect setting.

He brought Seras to face him.

Anticipating her sire, she asked in a low voice, "Here, then?" There was a slight tremor in her hands, but it clearly wasn't fear.

He nodded. "It's time to reclaim the night. This night. As our own. No masters, no servants. Just you and I, as equals. Bonded forever. A Count and his bride," his coppery eyes glinted in the moonlight. "His Draculina."

Seras gave him a discerning look. She'd prepared for this night for many years. "I'm ready." Her face was perfectly serene, accepting whatever needed to come next. She stepped forward until they were inches apart.

Lust and love began to consume him as he looked over her hungrily. His arms lifted to travel the length of her lovely figure, but he hesitated once more.

"Take me," she breathed, unable to stand his restraint any longer.

Mustering his last reserve, Alucard closed the space between them and slowly pressed his lips against hers. Seras sighed into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in. Receptive, he lowered his head and secured her in his arms. Soft but passionate at first, they pressed into each other, taken by an instant connection. A bright arc of physical need. But as the moment continued, the pressure began to build. Alucard had forgotten how magnetic the touch of another was, not to mention the striking reality he faced now as their kiss stripped away everything, layer by layer, and left nothing in its wake but raw desire. It was like a dam about to break. A flood of confounding emotions swirled in him, pulling, pushing, and rising.

Their mouths continued to work against one another as he deepened the kiss, needing more. Needing everything. Her skin, her taste, her body. The seals glowed white hot, tearing through muscle, but he didn't care. Several lifetimes worth of muzzled power was breaching the levees and bursting the dam wide open. Now he felt the cascade as wave upon wave of tension released at long last. He backed her slowly against a tree trunk, where she pulled away and hissed, restlessly watching as his fingers snaked through her hair and snapped the hair tie. Her shoulder-length crop tumbled down and brushed her collar bone. Pausing to take in the image, he made an approving noise. He took two fistfuls of golden locks, and, growling low, pulled her back in. It was both simultaneously too much and not nearly enough. For too long he'd been withheld from the nurturing touch of another who loved him so fiercely and unconditionally. Sensing she was also reeling in his grasp and craving for more pushed him further. It was like a drug better than anything else by comparison.

Now propped against something, she brought both legs up to wrap around him. A rumble in his chest seized as her hips pressed against his and rotated back and forth in tantalizing ease. With her skirt hiked up to her waist, his hands were allowed free range to explore southward. She moaned against him when he tore through her panties and threw them clear across the grass without breaking the kiss. Keeping her lifted with his hands linked across her bare bottom, he traded places with her, bringing Seras off the trunk and lowering their bodies to the ground with his back to the tree. There they sat, with her straddling him once more, and reluctantly came up for air.

Hanging on to the edge of their kiss, Seras took a moment to blink away the lust in her eyes and focus on him.

"Your hands," she gasped.

They were, what was left of them, nearly burnt to a crisp.

He waved absentmindedly, as if expecting such a torment. "They'll heal now that we've stopped."

Sure enough, his flesh was beginning to form again and slowly fill out the gloves. In their brief respite, Alucard looked her over, cherishing her disheveled appearance. Watching her nearly blush as his eyes trailed over the half of her body not clothed was gratifying beyond description. She was beautiful. As close to perfection as anything he'd ever seen and will likely ever see. And she would be his now. Until the sun grew cold. He inhaled and hummed reverently. When their eyes met, the spark of desire flared inside once again, keen on satisfying her in every way imaginable for the rest of his days.

"This is everything I've ever wanted," Seras said, her voice thick with emotion. "You're finally home. For good this time."

He reached up and tucked a layer of hair behind her ear. "There is one final thing we must do."

She frowned. "Do what?"

"Bond," he smiled.

Her cheeks burned instantly.

"Well, there is that," he chuckled, "but I was referring to something else. If memory serves, you have yet to drink from me."

"Yes," she said tentatively, eyes flicking to the artery in his neck.

He tilted his head to give her access. "It's time to become equals, then."

"But I have drunk plenty of times," she offered.

"Not from your sire. We are connected, yes, but not bonded for life. There is a ritual to these things." It was hard to conceal his hunger now. He was growing impatient.

She licked her lips and swallowed. "Are you sure? You haven't fed in years. I would likely have to drain you for this to work."

"Good. That's what it will take. Besides," he smirked, "my hair hasn't turned white yet." Then, more gently, he murmured, "Drink, Seras. Let us become one. Let us become whole." The fervor in his voice sent a shiver up her spine.

In a swell of determination, Seras adjusted her position on top of him and cradled his neck in her hands. Energized by his enthusiasm, she pressed their lips together. The soft glide of her tongue against his held him in a trance. He was both taut as a drawn bowstring and melting into her. He reached up and viciously pulled her to him. Seras could sense he was beginning to lose his faculties. Survival was kicking in. It was time to strike.

She broke their kiss, braced him against the tree trunk, and pinned his shoulders with her arms in one fluid motion.

Alucard snarled, clearly angered by the interruption. But, regaining conscious thought a moment later, he controlled it down to a disgruntled purr. After a moment of silence, he yielded and relaxed.

"Call me by my name," he murmured in a thick undertone, struggling to remain lucid as the red haze drew close.

"Your name?" she perched, tense and ready.

He nodded. "No more 'Master'. Say my name, Seras. Be free of your servitude."

She smiled and stroked his cheek. "Alucard."

"That is my given name. From them."

"Count Dracula," she whispered in between planting kisses down his neck.

"That is my title," he rasped, growing ravenous. "My name, Seras!"

She felt his muscles flex, about to take over control, but she was quicker. Her fangs raked down his throat, opening a wide swathe of flesh. Blood gushed forward in a blanket of red as she bit down and drew in his life essence with large, consuming gulps. He gasped, rigid against her frame with one hand gripping the back of her head before feeling his arms weaken and his body grow slack in her embrace. His Draculina's answer was the sweetest note hanging in the wind.

Vlad.

Vlad Dracula.

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