Inspired by a previous idea of mine, it seems to flow better this way rather than creating an entire Maxwell family asking for his story, and then having to create chapters to build characters that I don't want to even create. . . .it would all have been a pain.

Manga-based, Enrico-centric, AU. I can't say how the Hellsing manga ends.

To answer a question that I'll probably get in a review: Yes, it does skip forward and backward in time. I have tried to make it as easy to understand as possible.

Standard disclaimer stuff. You know what it says.

ooooooo

"Archbishop Enrico Maxwell, pastor emeritus of the Saint Pierre parish of Corsica, and former leader of Vatican Section Thirteen, the Iscariot Organization, you have been charged with numerous crimes against both God and humanity, including issuing the order for mass murders in London, assassination of a bishop, and the death of numerous high ranking British officials. Before we decide on the most appropriate punishment for your actions and then allow the secular governments to deal with you, would you like to explain why you ordered such activities? You cannot deny your actions, Archbishop, we have videorecordings of your show on the helicopter."

Enrico Maxwell was calm as he sat in the wooden chair, finding himself on the opposite side of the inquisition for the second time in his life. He folded his gloved hands, looked down at the wooden table, and then allowed his eyes to come to rest upon those of the cardinal in the center of the group.

"I have only been following God's orders. I am merely a humble servant with a gift, like all of the rest of my comrades in Section Thirteen."

"Gift?" The cardinal to the far right snorted as he folded his arms. "Archbishop Maxwell, you are the only member of Iscariot WITHOUT a gift from God! I have no idea how some. . . .serpent like YOU ended up leading an entire division!"

The Archbishop only smirked. "Read my file. I'm the best damned exorcist The Church has seen in years. In fact, Cardinal Molan, YOU PERSONALLY suggested that I be brought to the Vatican to be trained by Father Pendrake as his successor."

The cardinal next to the one on the far right stammered incoherently; the Archbishop laughed wholeheartedly, despite his current situation. "Would you like to tell the story Cardinal Molan? Or should I?"

oooooooo

"Hey! Father Ricci!" A twenty-four year old Enrico Maxwell stood from the garden outside his rectory where he was tending the rosebushes, waving to the woman on a bicycle that had called his name. Her hair was dark, and face hidden by a large, floppy hat. She had already started toward him, leading the bike alongside her as she walked. "My sister is still ill, and my mother, she suspects that Christine is being tormented by the devil. Would you humor my parents by coming over for dinner tonight so you can tell them to take her to a hospital?"

"You can tell your mother that I will be there as soon as I change out of my gardening clothes." He smiled, reassuring the girl, and trying his best not to blush. He was still a man, despite his calling. A very repressed man, as his parents instilled the fear of the wrath of the vengeful God if he ever tried anything nearly sexual, but he did his best to keep all urges nothing more than fantasies by throwing himself wholeheartedly in to his hobby.

It was why he had the best rose garden on the entire island.

Once Danielle had disappeared from his sight, Enrico made his way inside the rectory, changing out of the muddy shoes and trousers before grabbing his bicycle and peddling to the house that had requested his services. More likely than not, Christine, whom he had never once seen in Mass, was just depressed or suffering from some mental illness. He would talk to her, tell her parents she needed a doctor, and go back to his roses.

His parish was small enough that he knew everyone that attended mass, along with where they lived, what they did for a living, and about all of the gossip anyone would want to know thanks to the woman that cleaned the rectory.

"Bonjour Father Ricci!" Danielle's mother was standing in the driveway, obviously waiting for him. Her apron was stained with some red sauce, and her face smudged with soot. "I did not have much time to prepare you a proper meal, but I do hope you will be satisfied with what I can give. After all, I will be eternally grateful if you can help my Christine."

Maxwell smiled at the matriarch of the family. "I'll go to Christine now, if you would like. We can all eat after I meet her."

"Of course Father." The middle aged woman led him through the kitchen where Danielle was busy stirring something that smelled of seafood to the back of the house, where Christine sat upon her bed, staring out the window at the nearby beach.

With a nod, Maxwell dismissed her mother, and closed the door gently behind him. "Christine? How are you?"

No reply.

"My name is Enrico Maxwell, but people call me Father Ricci. I'm the new pastor at your family's church."

She turned away from him, still silent.

"Christine, your mother thinks you are possessed and wants me to perform an exorcism."

She snorted.

"Christine, I am going to pray for you." He stated, unsure of what he really should do in an exorcism. That was not considered part of the standard curriculum anymore, as most of the former 'demons' had been diagnosed as mental illnesses. "I would like you to pray too." Gently, he grasped her hand in his own, and looking up to heaven began.

"Our Father, who art in- OW!"

His vision blurred; the girl was apparently left handed, as she had slammed a paperweight against his temple as hard as she could. He was bleeding, his left eye was being clouded because of the injury, and he felt as if he would collapse on the floor at any moment.

Somehow, he could sense that she was going to lunge at him again, and Maxwell jumped to his feat as the paperweight collided with the mattress, leaving the girl prone for capture.

Throwing his body upon hers, Enrico had the advantage of weight, and nothing else, as he pinned her down, yelling prayers and verses as she continued to shriek and try to hit him with the paperweight, every few times hitting him in the head once again. He could feel her growing weaker as the struggle ensued, and he could hear her mother and sister yelling from outside the bedroom door, asking if he needed assistance.

He begged for them not to come in, that it was too dangerous- which it was. Christine was now only shrieking, so he stood, ripping the paperweight from her hand as he moved to the door, invoking the Holy Spirit to come save her soul, then banishing the demon as he opened the door, allowing the family to enter the room.

Both the mother and Danielle crossed themselves as they saw their sister convulsing on the bed, all the while Maxwell still ordering the demon out of her body as he rummaged through his bag, finally finding what he was looking for- a vial of Holy Water.

With one final prayer before his vision clouded completely thanks to his injury, he tossed the contents of the bottle upon the girl, falling to the floor at the foot of her bed; his blood staining his plain white stole.

ooooo

"Father Ricci?"

His head throbbed. His body ached. There was a bandage over his left eye. And he didn't remember what had caused the accident.

"Huh?"

"It's me, Christine. You've been unconscious for twenty-two hours." She grabbed his bare, cold hand, squeezing it tight. "I'm sorry I did this to you. I could see you there, and something just made me start attacking you. I really didn't mean it."

It was all coming back to him. The fourteen year old had actually been possessed. . . .

"I-it's no problem. All part of my duties to my parish, you know."

"Well, if you would like, my mamma has made you a very special dinner. It's all we can afford, since my papa really doesn't make much money growing grapes."

"You don't have to," He barely noticed the sadness creep upon her face through his swelled right eye; he had hit that side of his head against a table as he fell, "but it is very kind. I will be there as soon as I can."