Flashback to the start of everything. When a vast colony of humans traveled for a new Earth, powered by plant technology, and before their dreams took a detour.

-!-!-!-

She didn't know how to do this. Death. Not that she knew if she could die this way -who knew what powers were required as Alucard had shown time and time again, forever unbreakable. The real question hung in the air like firm encasement of lead. She could only watch now. Only wait. The blond stood in the center of a ship. But she saw all in an omnipotent and real way:

Bright lights came in varying shades of angry oranges and yellows, followed by similar plumes of particulates kicked up high into the atmosphere to momentarily cover the traces of violent impacts. The first impacts. Too many were to follow. Each one carried a mark of her choices, she was not stupid enough to believe they were unrelated. Her fists balled angrily. Why was she so bloody nice? How many years before she

"It's them. Or one of them at least," a casual male voice commented sadly.

"Pip, what would you have done?" Shock laced the question.

His answer was to drag a long puff of a cigarette and exhale in a strangely sad, weary, way deep inside of her being, a man who had long ago been incorporated into herself. Her first victim.

"Love, you try so hard. You always have. Being human – no, being a neutral rag tag of what human qualities could be said I had, I most likely would have done the same in your situation. I mean, Alucard is a vicious force of nature, but we all have our starts don't we? He made you and you ended up saving the goddamned world after all."

"I'm not sure if that time back on Earth counts-"

"No Seras, right now: I believe in you enough to say that you have saved the world. The one under you. Where no life seems to exist, you are about to allow this ship, fully of the same ilk that made the world before, that made little dreaming girls like you had been, and killers for pay like me, merde, all the way to the terrible Alucard. So ask me a different question, sweet girl. Ask another."

-!-!-!-

It had been amazing. The way it felt when their presence filled her attention in a way no human ever could – their energy, their lack of ill will or understanding, children that were not children, but with so much potential. Two infants, umbilical cords attached, completely held her from miles away. It held her long enough to force her hand. To make sure they had a chance at life as the woman stood between them and certain death or worse. They raised guns, telling her to move. Rem bravely refused. Seras delved into their hectic minds and toyed with their emotions with a benevolent purpose.

Her choice had been on the spot, her master deep asleep. Integra still slumbered, a great human relic with immortal protection, but also unable to dictate every action. There was trust to this. Trust from decades of dealing with each other. Trust that had lasted centuries. Technology had saved Integra more than anything else for her to see the final evolution of mankind: to travel the stars as a great tree spreads it's fruit. Her reasoning had been very spiritual – she had not cheated death, she had bargained with it. Her final years would not change, simply the time period they occurred.

The woman with endlessly white hair, bound to a wheel chair, in her sixties had determined to meet her maker only after she'd made sure the human race gained a new start. The war with Major had disillusioned herself with the times. Advances came like wild fire. It worried her immensely. At 75 years of age, the decision was made. Sleeping, for however much was needed with Alucard and Seras still bound to her, kept under her rules like an imaginary barrier to cause no harm as well as to prevent it for her fellow man.

But there was also that last problem for her to solve. That involved both of these vexing quandaries. The future of the human race and the immortals which had plagued them for so many eons. Science was understanding the idea of it, Major had shown this. That evil man from the war.

During the devastating time of when banishing demonic blood drinkers to other realms or conjuring an army of vampires was made terribly possibly she had seen what might happen. She wanted to make sure science did not destroy... Did not let loose Pandora's box when it stumbled, and she knew it would, without a way to close the lid. Or at least channel it. She woke every so often to get updates, then went back to sleep. Each time she was weaker. Seras had time to gauge the children.

When they appeared, giving off their presence in unique ways to her, it made her both excited and worried. Integra had planned for monsters. Alucard or herself. An Anderson born out of a nightmare of purposeful test tubes and the sin of man kind. Not babes. Innocent as anyone and even more so – blank slates.

Turmoil like this saved those new beings.

Exhaling in a deep shrug she had come to a conclusion hopefully good enough for the great Integra Wingate Hellsing: a deal with death for those yet to be Monsters or Oddities. Death for them would be triggered by events first. Or of events out of her control. Slaughter was Alucard's domain, not hers.

Integra had wanted Seras awake during the journey to watch things for strategic purposes considering how unpredictable, easily bored, and violent the immortal alternative had been. And so he ran the ship without deviation to orders. Until today.

When everything changed.

She watched the boys carefully over the next year, pleased to see how they grew so quickly. Wanting to help. Trying to be human. Not understanding themselves. Hoping and learning as she observed as best she could several miles away, at the end of the long group of human vessels. From this distance she could not control the adult who harmed Knives. She could not see everything that happened. She was a television from the days of fuzzy reception on screens, static occasionally giving her a lack of information. Often she would talk to the people in the control room. Ask about their growth and signs with the computer monitor giving better reach than her actual abilites.

A man in the back, with his disheveled green work wear, and drunken appearance would occasionally wander by. He had often asked to trade ships to be with Seras. A lewd man. Meanwhile the rest of the crew had been bright and friendly, even extending a thanks for teaching them so much in their rotations. Everything appeared so peaceful from afar. The boys had Rem who genuinely loved them. Seras could see it in everything she did on screen, the way she mothered them when they worked in the control room or did something childish.

Emotions came in strongly from the boys on occasion. Knives usually gave an aura of estranged happiness around the dark haired women she had saved with them a year before. Vash would give off uncertainty and a growing fear towards the end. His brother reversed like a pole finding it's opposite. The change had been frightening. A silence had fallen over communications. Nothing went through.

By the time she had felt the confused garble of emotions from Vash and the killing intent of Knives, not even she could halt the chain of destruction.

-!-!-!-

Seras ran a frustrated hand through her blond hair as she felt the impacts near what she protected. As her blue eyes narrowed and her muscles tensed in preparation. Darkness crept over the ship holding Integra, her power had gone untapped for so long that it felt akin to manipulating a foreign piece of herself. A third, fourth, and fifth arm. And all the while she felt angry confliction, not for the loss of so many stored lives, but for the children she had given a chance.

Rem had died talking to her. Despite everything, the woman had managed to work magic with computers with Seras' slowly gained expertise. Seras felt deep appreciation for that woman. And then she was gone. The first of a thankful few to explode. Any remaining would crash into the new world hopefully with enough time to control and adjust landing as best they could. But Rem was gone. And Seras was angry. She could only, for certain, help small handful by comparison. That woman had saved them on the same premise as she, but she had only been human. What did that make herself? An ancient idiot who still went about life like a twenty-something woman, with so much hope it turned it's back on her?

"Aren't you going to ask yet, Love?" Pip asked, fading a little.

"Crimony, can't it wait!?" Seras fumed under the strain. A second ship was protected, and then a third, from the intense heat of atmospheric impact. A little longer now. Her confidence grew a fraction. One more, she thought desperately. Just one more stupid ship of sardine-canned people!

"Your eyes are beautiful tonight. I could do without the blood tears though – i'll ask the question for you, how about that?"

Pips voice came in nearly inaudible as borrowed some of his strength to aid her. Intense pressure. Everwhere. Sound had stopped, except for him.

"You should have asked: 'What would he have done?'"

"Aw, Pip!" Seras roared, trying to hard to catch that final ship. She fell to her knees and curled into a ball as she focused. At this point he was so feint that his lack of presence worried her. But she understood the question. Loud and clear.

Alucard, had he been chosen to watch over...

"Pip, thank you."

Not a single thing would have been different.

well guys, i'd like to find some way of apologizing for the wait – 5 years is a long time! But now i've finally worked my ass enough to afford college without loans or anything. It's been a pretty hectic, horrendously non-fanfic time, let me tell you! Hope you enjoyed the story! On a recent note, we are literally one chapter away from it ending. Any complaints from the sudden change in perspective? I tried to cover Seras as best I could since she's in a stressful bind right now.

-!-!-!-

Alucard: Seras, I think i'm rubbing off on you...

Seras: T_T; I have no comment

Vash: ….i don't remember any of this. Seems like i'd noticed something...somewhere..anything about immortals, ancient powerful family lines, and you know, general science fiction no one decided to bring back verbally from Earth. Nope, leave me out here to believe i'm the only science fiction action to contend with my brother at the end. Might have – you know what, never mind. I'm just going to drink and eat donuts. Seriously, man, how do I even ...WHERE IS THE LOVE?

Author: like...space love? I told you to stay on that bench, not go up to Godview and time travel with me! Meanwhile though, has anyone ever thought about Paula Deens donut burgers through any of this?

Vash: …...O_o are the recipes in the ships computers? Tell me they didn't burn

author: ._. ; Dear sweet jesus, what have I done?