long chapter, I hope you like it. i am sorry it took so long to write i have been very busy of late.

I do not own Helsing

After she had untangled her self from Alucard and gotten out of that damn coffin, she walked to her room. The house hold was silent as usual and she did not encounter anyone in the hall ways. So when she arrived at her room, she felt the Impending anxiety die down. She really didn't want to be known as the "vampire's girl". She got little respect around her as it was. Although she hardly interacted with the Helsing soldiers, they seemed to dislike her for the fact that Alucard had always shown an interest in her. It could also be the fact that she wasn't human. Word of that had spread fast. She wondered if the men had bugged Sir Integra's office because they always seemed to know things they where not supposed to. They called her fairy girl behind her back, when they thought she couldn't hear them. After taking a shower and getting dressed, she headed to Integra's office.

As soon as she arrived, Integra put her to work. The knight was swamped with paperwork and calls. Apparently, during the day, a vampire attack was staged in Dublin Ireland. Although they had little to no jurisdiction there, the Section thirteen wanted them to take responsibility as it was their vampire causing the trouble. Meaning Clef. How he could have pulled off a daylight murder was anyone's guess. Integra was beside her self with anger. She kept yelling at the people who called her asking them how she could possibly be responsible for this and so on. Maria sat there on the opposite side of the desk going through the paperwork and sorting it in to the important, non important and look at immediately piles. Her mind was lost in thought. How could Clef have attacked people in broad day light and how the hell did they know it was him? Those questions would be answered after the storm had died down and Integra had a chance to breathe.

She felt rather than heard Alucard enter the room. He stood beside her, looking at his master with some amusement. Finally, Integra threw the phone into the nearest wall and slammed her hands down on the s desk in frustration.

"Stressful day master?" Alucard purred in obvious amusement.

"Clef attacked an orphanage in Dublin. Damn Vatican has been on my case about it all day saying that it is my mess s to clean up. How the hell did they know we were hunting him? Sometimes I wonder if this room is bugged." Integra lit up her cigar.

"Freaky. I had that same though on the way here, you might want to have the technology department do a sweep. As for Clef, how in the hell did he stage a daylight attack and how do they know it was him?" Maria asked.

"I have no idea how he did it in daylight, I also have no idea how they think it is him…it is his MO but still…." Integra trailed off and rubbed her temples.

"He is old…not as old as me but old enough that sunlight doesn't effect him as badly as it does a younger vampire. The only reason I with stand it completely is the modifications that Helsing made on me. Had I been left to my own devices, in a few hundred years I would be all but immune." Alucard said.

"So do they want us to go there and take him out?" Maria asked.

"I don't know what they want us to do. They don't want us on their soil, but the monster is our problem. once they make up their minds…no by then it will be too late. We'll move immediately."

Integra picked up the phone she had thrown across the room, plugged it back in and called for a chopper to be ready in fifteen minutes. She directed them to get ready and be on the helicopter pad in ten minutes. Precisely ten minutes later they were standing on the pad waiting for the chopper to be ready.

"Find this beast and kill him once and for all." Integra ordered.

"Yes master." Alucard said with a mock bow.

As they watched the ground get smaller underneath them, Maria wondered what the night would hold. She felt panicky, sick almost, like butterflies were fluttering in her stomach. Something bad was going to happen tonight in Dublin…she just didn't know what. She voiced this to Alucard and sat there thoughtful.

"have you ever had these feelings before?" he asked.

"Once or twice before. They always have some truth in them."

"hmm."

The rest of the ride was in silence. As soon as they landed in front of the orphanage, they took off into the building. There was no trace of Clef except a fading energy signature. The bodies had been removed and all that remind was bloody stains on the carpet and walls. After the search through the inside was fruitless, they headed to the grounds around it. Alucard took off in one direction and Maria in the other. The circled the area and met in the middle.

"Nothing?" she asked.

"Not a damn thing."

"Damn."

The bushes to their right that were leaning against the building moved. They both trained their guns at it. when a cat sprang out of it, Maria sighed. But her frustration was short lived as the air around them began to cackle with power. One second they were standing, and the next Maria was hurled through the air. Her back slammed against the side of the building and her teeth clattered together. Damn that had hurt! A growl filled the air and she looked up to see Alucard having a stand off with Clef. Her breath caught in her throat when they lunged at each other. Slam1 Crunch! Snap! They were hitting each other, not bothering to use weapons and it seemed like Alucard had the upper hand. Around and around their fists flew and their legs were a burr of powerful kicks. Neither one was bothering to block, this was a full out brawl. If Maria had been able to feel her legs, she would have jumped in to help. But something was wrong. From her waist down had no feeling. I didn't hit the wall that hard did I? She wondered. But when she tried to move, she reeled with pain she had never felt before. But pain was good, it meant that her spin wasn't severed, it just hurt a lot. Try as she might, she could not stand so she had to just sit there, helpless as they fought.

They say that one moment can change everything. That saying was very correct in this case. Alucard did something he didn't do very often…he made a mistake. He fell for his opposites feint to the left and ended up taking a powerful blow to the side. He stumbled and fell. Maria couldn't believe it when he didn't get up again. Then she saw the foreign object sticking out of his side. It look like an enormous spear. There was some sort of ancient writing on it. when he still didn't move even after she called his name. she knew she had no choice but to run. But her legs would not cooperate.

"You will heal quickly," Clef said as he advanced on her, " but no quick enough I am afraid."

His mouth split into a wide grin. She had nowhere to run or hid. He snatched her up and she cried out in pain.

"You're coming with me." He told her.

A portal opened up and as they passed through it, Maria called out to Alucard again…but he didn't stir. A heavy blow was landed on her face and she slipped into darkness.

When she woke up she could feel the vibrations of nature around her and she recognized where she was…Scotland…the home of her ancestors. She could feel that she was about twenty miles away from their base. She moved and felt a twinge of pain, but it was not as bad as last time. But she still couldn't move. Her hands were tied behind her back. Then it dawned on her where she was. It was a graveyard and she was tied to a grave stone. It was a strange grave yard as the surrounding area was trees, there was no fence, no signs and no watch stations or buildings. It was like this place had been long forgotten by mankind. She shivered.

She could hear no movements around her which meant that she was alone for the time being but she had no idea how long that would last. Her eyes strained to see what was engraved on the stones. But she couldn't understand the language it had been written in. she could see that there were sixteen of them in front of her. She thought for a minute them gasped when she remembered what the book had said.

. Sherron was entranced with the idea of gaining power by use of the dark arts. The village elders feared that he would destroy them all, so they worked day and night to find a solution. Finally, they devised a plan. They would capture Sherron and use an absorption technique to take the powers of Sherron into themselves. This proved to be a fatal mistake. The sixteen elders were consumed by Sherrons power and all fell dead at the exact moment of the planets alignment.

Was she really sitting on the grave of Sherron? There was no way she could turn and check. A sound of leaves being crunched underfoot reached her ears. Clef came out of the trees with a smile.

"have you figured it out yet?" he asked softly.

"Why am I here?"

"To release the Master." He said in a low hiss.

Before she could speak, he told her to shut up and listen. Then he opened his mouth and began to speak.

"Many years ago….when Fairies walked freely through these parts, I was a small boy, eleven years of age. My father was one of the Sixteen counsel members and as his son I was expected to raise to his level. I always resented the old man. He thought he was better than anyone alive. He beat my mother and I on a daily basis and no one helped us. They didn't even bat and eye when he did it in front of the town. He was an elder so he could do what ever the hell he pleased. If he wanted to disembowel me in the center of the village he could do it with out repercussion. I hated him with a passion…and when he killed my mother, I lost everything. She was all I had to keep me going. It was then that I sought revenge.

I was only thirteen at the time my mother died, so I had no idea how I could take on my father…one of the most powerful fae alive. But then I met Him. My Master took me under his wing and taught me the dark arts he was practicing. I grew stronger and stronger and by the time I reached eighteen, was a force to be reckoned with. But I hid it well as I knew that dark arts was forbidden. My master asked me to stay put where is was. He would over throw the old bastards and take over the kingdom. All I had to do was wait.

That night came and he called me by his side. He was fighting against the Elders. His powers were fierce, but they held up better than he had expected. I arrived just in time to see him fall to the ground writhing in agony. My fathers and the rest of the elders died quickly…at the exact moment of the planets alignment. I ran to his side and offered my help. He told me that there was something I could do. He said, "The next time a female is born under the alignment of the planets, bring her to me. Only after she utters my name can I be free from this spell." I said "master, let me say it!" but he said that only one who born of his curse could free him. So, I have searched all this time and have finally found a Dark One I was able to catch. So all I need from you is to say his name."

"How are you a vampire? If you are fae…" she trailed off.

"I was bitten shortly after this incident. But I wanted to be changed. I am far more powerful now than I ever was as a fae. It was a tricky change as most fairies die in the transformation, but my love for my master kept me going. Now, no more stalling….say his name."

"never!"

"Say it or I'll show you the meaning of pain!" he barked.

Maria closed her mouth in defiance. When a blade appeared in his hand her eyes widened.

"I can't cut off any body parts because the mater wants you whole. I can, however, maim you as I please because of your healing abilities."

He began to cut her face, her neck, her arms, slowly and deeply. She managed not to scream out loud as the blade sliced through her skin. In her mind she called out to Alucard to help her, but she no longer felt his presence. Had Clef really killed him? It couldn't be…

The pain was horrible when he moved from cutting her to burring her with his lighter. Her skin sizzled and she could smell her flesh burning. She did scream then. Her voice carried through the forest. She began to struggle as he heated up the knife and stabbed her with it in various places, missing the vital organs but defiantly causing damage. He broke her arm and legs, he even gouged out her eye. But she healed quickly, as she always did and he would repeat the process. It got to a point where it was too much to bear. But she could not and would not utter the name. hours passed and the sun began to rise. He hissed when the first rays hit him and backed off into the shadows.

"I hate the sun,," he muttered, "I'll be back tonight to finish what we started."

And with that threat, he left her alone. Her body was tired, she was hungry so she slept. A few times during the day she woke up to the blinding sunlight but forced herself to fall back asleep. The wounds had healed, but the hunger was terrible as well as the thirst. In her sleep she at least didn't have to feel it.

She knew it was night even before she opened her eyes. Clef was back and she could hear him sharpening a knife. She knew that he knew she as awake but she closed her eyes any way. It was a long night and when the sun came up he didn't leave. He kept cutting and stabbing and burring. Her body was covered with dried and fresh blood. When night fell again, her screams were so loud, she was surprised that no one heard her. When the moon was high above her head, she finally gave in….she couldn't take any more.

"Sherron." She whispered.

A bright light emitted from the grave she was sitting on and an electrical storm graced the sky with flashes of purple lighting. Darkness swirled around her and she shut her eyes. It was over as quickly as it happened and a tall man with amber eyes and long silver hair stood before her, looking down at her with a smirk on his face.

"I see she gave you trouble." Sherron said in a deeply musical voice.

"Yes Master." Clef said with a gleam in his eye.

"well done my servant, even covered in blood I can see that she is beautiful. ."

He snapped his fingers and the binds that held her fell to the ground. But she was in too much pain to move. He knelt before her and reached out his hand, only to pull it back with a hiss. An arrow was sticking out of his arm. Just then a trumpet sounded and the area was instantly filled with fae. Shneell was standing there in full battle armor, as was the queen herself. Sherron smiled at her.

"To what do I owe this honor your majesty?" he asked with a mock bow.

"This time there will be no spell monster, we will destroy you until there is nothing left but ash." She hissed.

He threw back his head and laughed. Gripping the arrow, he yanked it out of him and healed instantly.

"I'd like to see you try. How did you know I was free?"

"We had an informant." She glared at Clef. "You betray your people not only by becoming a vampire, but by uttering his name?" she hissed.

"I didn't say his name, she did." He pointed at Maria.

The queen took in Marias bloody appearance, the healing wounds, the lighter and blade by her side and growled.

"To add insult to the injury you have caused on your people, you torturer your own?"

Her power cackled in the air. Sherron sneered and unleashed his own power, protecting his servant from the blow. They faced off, never speaking, just blasting power at each other. The ground was shaking. Maria was too hurt to move out of the way. A hooded figure whipped around the queen and snatch Maria up. Once she was safely behind the line of fire, the fight intensified. The sky began to rumble as the electrical storm made its appearance. She clung to the hooded figure with all her might. . then the power surges stopped and Sherron laughed.

"have you decided to call it quits?"

"We are equally matched." The queen said coldly.

"never." He snarled.

The queen only smiled and held up a spear. Maria recognized it. it was the spear that Alucard had been stabbed with. Sherron shuddered.

"Any thing with dark power will be killed when this pierces their skin, unless they receive an antidote for its poison."

"Maria shuddered at the queens words. Did that mean that Alucard was dead? And how did the queen get that spear? A tear fell down her face. The hooded figure brushed his hand against her face to calm her. But it was no use, she fell to her knees right then and there.

"I am not leaving with out the girl!" Sherron growled.

"She is not yours!" the queen countered.

Sherron looked uneasily at the spear and gritted his teeth.

"I'll leave for now."

In a swirl of smoke he and Clef were gone. The queen turned back to her men and told them to secure the area. Every one except the queen, the hooded man and Maria herself moved. A warm hand closed over hers and Maria looked up.

"Fear not," the queen whispered, "your man is alive….well as a as he can be."

The hooded man knelt beside her and flipped back his hood. Maria ignored the pain and leapt into Alucard's arms.

"How?" she stuttered.

" I summoned her through a mirror I had handy." Alucard said. " I regain awareness long enough to contact her, tell her what happened and to pass out again."

"Thank goodness." Maria said happily.

"Don't be too happy child, Sherron is loose and will come after you. Since you set him free, he wants you. " the queen warned.

"I'll keep her safe…now that you have the spear." Alucard said.

"See that you do, if he get his hands on her we will be in trouble, I'll explain later, the girl needs rest. "

Alucard didn't question her just picked Maria up and took them back to England. Integra looked up at them in surprise then concern when she saw Maria.

"I'll explain later, she needs to get cleaned up and rest." Alucard said.

She raised an eyebrow at his attire but nodded her consent. Maria felt the water on her skin, the blood washed off and her hair cleaned. She felt a towel dry her and her hair was combed. She felt her self being put into bed, but as soon as her head hit the pillow, she felt nothing but sleep.