Chapter Eight: The Contract, part three

It was a silent trip back to Integra, the Queen and Maxwell. Alucard followed Anderson in silence. He didn't want to talk to the human right now. He narrowed his ruby eyes, glaring at the Priest's back, suddenly feeling the urge to hit him again. His mind went traveling back to what the Paladin did to him just a few moments ago. It made heat rise up onto his face and colour his cheeks a faint hue of pink. His clenched his fists, bit his lip and shook his head, his raven hair swimming in the air around him from the movement.

As much as he tried to forget what happened, it kept coming back to him like the need to hit Anderson again!

He blinked a couple of times, realizing that he was being childish. He blinked again, noticing for the first time that his right arm was out stretched towards the Priest, hand balled into a fist. He tightened his hand tighter, enough to feel his clothed nails piercing the white clothe of his finger tips slightly and into his clothed palm. He stopped as soon as he felt that, he didn't want to damage his gloves. That would make Integra angry. And if he told her about his other glove, she would be downright pissed.

The vampire swallowed hard at the thought. He didn't want to make her angry…

Alucard was brought back from his thoughts when he and Anderson rounded the corner of the Palace and were brought back to the front it. He looked around slightly as they walked finding his fledgling, Pip and Walter again.

All of them stopped what they were doing and stared at him. But after a moment, he realized that they weren't staring at him. They were staring at the Judas Priest. His head flicked to the Priest and back to his comrades. Why were they staring at Anderson? He decided to ask.

Why are you guys staring at the Judas Priest? He asked his Fledgling as he continued walking without even looking her way, staring at Anderson's back.

Seras blinked, she wasn't expecting her master to ask her a question, but she still answered anyways.

We're waiting, master… she whispered in her mind back to her master.

And what are you guys waiting for? Alucard asked, slightly entertained by his conversation with the Police Girl. They should worry about Anderson, because Alucard could handle him.

The young Fledgling hesitated in answering. She didn't know what kind of reaction her master would have if she told him the answer to his question. But he was her master and she must obey and all that stuff… she gave a nervous smile and felt a bit of sweat drip down her brow and temple.

We're waiting to see if Anderson will attack you, master… she said a little quickly. To protect you…

Alucard stopped walking and stood there, mouth slightly open from surprise and shock. That was an unexpected answer. He didn't expect that. Them protect him? No, no no… He surely didn't need any protection. What made Seras, Walter and Pip think that he needed any protection from someone like Anderson? Well, sure the Priest does have the strength and power to hurt him, but he can hurt the Priest too. Just thinking of Anderson getting close to him again gave him the shivers.

He turned his head to Seras, staring at her even though she couldn't look at him in the eyes because of his glasses, and stayed there. He didn't even notice that Anderson stopped and turned to star at him.

You think that the human can kill me, Police Girl? He asked quietly on his mind.

Seras' sweat dropped. She gulped and shook her head viciously, her bright auburn hair swishing around her. No, Master! It's not that! W-well maybe it is a little… but I'm just worried about you that's all, master… She thought frantically that Alucard couldn't keep up with her, but then she slowed her mental voice.

A silent whisper in Alucard's head. Something is going to happen, master… to you, sir, and I have a bad feeling.

His ruby eyes widened slightly at what she said. Her saw her blue eyes go from his face to something next to him. He turned slowly, a little scared to see what or who it was, and jumped slightly when he saw Anderson standing a little too close for comfort next to him.

Anderson heard that Alucard's footsteps stop behind him and he turned around, curious about why the vampire stopped walking. He froze slightly, noticing that Alucard was walking very close behind him, and stayed where he was, not wanting to alarm anyone. He noticed that everyone's eyes were on him the moment he and the vampire were at the front of the palace, but he brushed it off; he was used to having people stare at him that it wasn't awkward anymore. The Paladin noticed that Alucard was staring at his Fledgling, and she back at Alucard.

But he and Alucard needed to go. There was no time to be having a staring contest when they were keeping Maxwell, Integra and the queen waiting. He didn't want to keep them waiting… especially not Maxwell, he seems pretty excited today and Anderson didn't want to ruin his mood.

He didn't back away or flinch when Alucard turned slowly to look at him. He smirked when he saw that the vampire jumped slightly of how close he was standing next to him. Their eyes locked together, ruby versus emerald.

Alucard held his breath. After what happened between them in the back gardens flooded his mind. He forced himself to look away from those piercing bright emerald eyes and looked back to his Fledgling. He was about to connect his mind with her again and tell something, but was interrupted by the human next to him.

"Alucard. We have to go." Alexander said quietly, but it was enough to let Walter, Seras and Pip hear. "They're waiting for us and we're stalling."

Alucard opened his mouth and was about to complain, but he closed his mouth back up again. The Judas Priest was right. They were keeping his master and queen waiting, along with Maxwell. And apparently, he and Anderson were important and they both needed to be there when they talk about this so called 'contract' that Anderson said it was. But he wondered; why did he have to be there?

He nodded and waited for the Paladin to start walking again so he would follow. He gave Police Girl one last look, then started walking, glaring at Anderson's back.

Master? Seras connected to him. Why do you have to go? I mean, do they really need you to be there?

Apparently… it seems that way doesn't it? He thought after a moment, as soon as he and the Priest walked into the palace. When this is over, I'll tell you what's going on.

Yes sir. He heard her say in his mind and felt her disconnect from his thoughts.

As they were walking, he felt the need to ask that question. It wasn't a strong feeling, but he felt the need to ask why he had to go too. He would have been still sleeping right now. He walked a little faster, in order to be walking next to Anderson rather than behind, and took off his glasses then began to talk.

Anderson turned his head when he saw the vampire walk up next to him. He raised one of his brows when he saw that Alucard took off his glasses.

"Am I really that important, that I need to be there when you guys talk about this 'contract' thing, Judas Priest?" Alucard asked, without looking at Anderson.

The question threw Alexander off guard. He wasn't expecting for Alucard to ask a question like that. His steps faltered slightly but after a moment, he walked correctly again and he swallowed thickly before answering him.

"Yes, you need to be there." He said silently, almost a whisper .

"Why?"

Anderson didn't want to tell him. But it wouldn't seem fair that only he knew what is going to happen in a matter of moments, while Alucard doesn't have a clue. He opened his mouth to speak, nothing came out. He tried again, but still nothing came out. Then he stopped walking, head down and staring at his boots.

Alucard noticed this and turned to look at Anderson. He realized that the Paladin stopped walking too, so he stopped; just a few feet away from the human. He stopped breathing when Anderson looked up from the ground, staring at Alucard.

"Good question." Alexander said as he stared at the smaller male.

Alucard cocked his head to the side slightly, his long black hair swishing in the air. What did the Judas Priest mean by that? It seems that he had struck a nerve with that simple question.

That only meant two things:

Either both his dear master Integra and his queen just wanted him to be there with them or he really was an important part of the meeting.

The vampire's sweat dropped.

He was really hoping that it was just Integra and the queen wanting him to be close to them… Yeah right, like that was the reason he needed to be there.

Alucard stared longer at the Priest, his bright ruby eyes boring into emerald ones.

"You know." He said after a few silent moments. It was more of an answer that a question.

Anderson flinched slightly. But it was more than enough to answer the vampire. Alexander took a deep breath and began to walk closer to Alucard. He couldn't resist the urge to smirk when Alucard took a step back when walked closer to him. The vampire had good instinct. When he was face to face with him, he looked him in the eyes and spoke the truth, though he didn't know how to begin.

"Alucard." He whispered, hoping that no one was listening. "When we enter that room-" he said, point in the direction where there were elegantly carved closed woodened doors, then continued. "Our lives are going to change completely."

Alucard stared up at the Judas Priest, him being slightly shorter than him. His brows furrowed in confusion, trying to understand what Alexander was saying. He didn't get it. What does he mean by 'Our lives are going to change'? The slender vampire knew that everything was going to be different from now on with the so called 'contract', but what he didn't know was how it was going to change.

"What do you mean by Our lives?" he asked after a moment of thinking. "Do you mean the Vatican's and the Protestant's?"

Anderson closed his eyes, his brows furrowed. He put a gloved hand over his face and clenched his jaw, throwing his head back. Then he took in a deep breath and let it out. He found that it was really difficult talking to the creature in front of him when it was about something important. Especially when he was trying to tell him that they are on the verge of marrying each other.

"Yes- I mean no! Well, yes and no." Alexander struggled with his words. When he saw the question and curiosity in those hypnotic ruby orbs, he continued. "What I mean is, is that your life and mine will change more than anyone else here."

"Care to explain that?" Alucard asked. He didn't like the sound of that. He did not like the words 'your life and mine'.

The problem was, was how could Anderson explain to Alucard. He didn't know how. If he got straight to the point with Alucard, he didn't how he would react. Surely he would be pissed. Beyond that, even. But the Paladin felt that if he explained it with careful words too, Alucard would still get mad. So instead he asked a question.

"Alucard." He began, "Both Maxwell and I know what's happening. Who would you like to hear the answers to your questions from?"

Alucard thought for a moment, sinking in the words Anderson had just said to him. He didn't like Maxwell and Anderson. And he certainly did not trust them. The first time he had seen them, they were his enemy. But now… They have to work together… And thinking that, Alucard thought that he could mildly trust Anderson. A little, sort of. At least more than Maxwell.

He looked into the humans green eyes, melting in them. Their emerald colour swirling like liquid.

"I'd rather have you tell me than Maxwell," he said after a moment. Thought he said it with his head down, staring at the white tiled ground, not being able to look Anderson in the eyes as he said it. He didn't want to admit it, but talking to Alexander made him feel open and vulnerable. Like an open diary that no one was supposed to read no matter how much they wanted to. But the human always managed to do it like it was nothing. Alucard lifted his head to stare at the human and added, "But I still hate you."

Anderson smirked at that last statement said. The smirk made the vampire shudder, and what made it even worse was when Anderson noticed it. Alucard took a step back when Alexander took a step towards him, but the vampire stopped short when he noticed that there was a wall up against his back behind him now. The raven haired male looked at the wall behind him and then to the Judas Priest. His crimson eyes wide with fear. Alucard mentally cursed himself for showing fear to this human. His held his breath when Anderson rose one of his gloved hands and reached out to the vampire, his hand hovering barely a centimeter away from Alucard's lips.

Alexander's head cocked to the side, eyes hooded and a wide smirk spread across his lips when the creature in front of him bit his lower lip and drew his head closer against the wall. It looked like Alucard wanted to escape through the wall behind him, and he could if he wanted to; but he didn't. Instead of doing that, he squeezed his eyes shut and whispered.

"Why have you been like this lately?" he asked, feeling heat surface on his cheeks. "With all of this ph… Physical contact…"

Alucard felt like he would die from embarrassment. He mentally chuckled to himself thinking in a melancholy way, I'm already dead…

Anderson was quiet for a bit, observing Alucard. That was a really good question. He didn't really know why he had started being so touchy-feely with the vampire. Father Anderson, of all people, shouldn't be touching a demon the way he has been doing. But… he couldn't help it. And besides:

He wasn't one to follow orders.

He took a small baby-step back and crossed his arms across his chest. He looked at Alucard's face, then his eyes wondered lower to the vampire's thin pale neck. Emerald eyes lowered to his round shoulders and slowly found their way to Alucard's slender waist and hips. Just staring at that part of Alucard's body made him want to push the vampire against the wall and grind against his hips with his own. He swallowed thickly and forced himself to look back up slowly, his green eyes noting for the first time just how attractive Alucard is. He found big ruby eyes staring back at him when he reached his face. He stared into them, drowning in the ruby colour.

Alucard was having a hard time trying to suppress the violent tremors crashing down on his body when the Judas Priest looked at his body. It scared him. Why did it scare him? Why was he scared of a mere human staring at him…? A mere human that can hurt him if he wanted to… that had the power to do it…

The vampire's thoughts were interrupted when a gloved hand reached up and hesitantly brushed a lock of his ebony hair behind his ear, then later reached down to stroke his cheek. It felt warm under the touch and Anderson could even feel the warmth of Alucard's cheek through the white, rough, fabric of his gloved fingers. Anderson opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

He didn't know how to tell him. He decided tell him in the simplest way he could think of.

"Alucard…" He began in a whisper, "The reason why you're needed in that room right now is because Maxwell has a contract."

Alucard blinked. Then blinked again. A third time. "Okay… I already knew that. Anything else?"

Oh yeah…

"The contract is a marriage contract, Alucard." Alexander said the words slowly, making sure that the vampire heard each and every one of them. And he succeeded.

He saw how Alucard's large ruby eyes widened almost painfully. Then he saw how they narrowed dangerously.

Alucard couldn't believe what he had just heard. He narrowed his eyes into mere slits, to where you could only see crimson. Was it true? Or was the Judas Priest just playing a really sick joke on him? He couldn't tell. But what scared him the most were Anderson's words. A marriage contract? That's why he needs to be there? They wanted him to get married with someone from the Vatican Branch?

But the main questions were: Why him? And with who?

The thought of him getting married made him want to gag. But he swallowed it down and spoke.

"Why me? And with who?"

Anderson visibly flinched. He didn't think that the vampire would catch that he was the one that they wanted to bind to the contract. But the most part of that flinch was that he didn't know what Alucard would do if he told him that the Vatican's wanted Alucard to be bound to the contract with him. He took three small steps away from the creature, giving him enough space; should Alucard want to attack him when he answered, to take out his bayonet's to defend himself.

"They want you to sign the contract and be bound to me."

A/N: I'M. NOT. DEAD!

sorry for the REALLY long wait guys... I've been very busy, and i didn't think it would take months to update anything... Im really sorry... But hopefully I'll get to update earlier from now on. But there are no promises here. But anyways, I hope you've enjoyed this and are eager to read more:3

Until then, Cheers.