Order 17: Onto Bigger Things

There will come a day when you have no Master to answer to...

Katherine had decided that day was now.

She was tired of answering to Integra, to Alucard, to anyone.

Now was the day to leave.

She called up Damien and Sam late one night when Seras and Alucard were both out on missions.

"Don't go to school tomorrow," she instructed. "We're cutting."

Sam was obliging as was Damien.

"Aw, stay home and goof off or sit at an uncomfortable desk all day," he'd said. "What a choice."

She made her way to them during the day, ignoring the hot sun.

"So what's the deal?" Sam asked impatiently. "We gonna do something or what?"

"How about...endless mortality and no one ever telling you what to do?" Katherine said.

Sam's mouth dropped open. "You're gonna turn us into vampires?"

Katherine nodded. "Yeah."

Sam's jubilant shout echoed off the walls.

Damien looked at her sideways. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

Katherine shrugged. "Cause I feel like it is all. You're both about to enter a dangerous world. You understand the consequences and what you might lose."

Sam scoffed. "What have I got to lose? A bastard father and a drunken mother? I say, bite me."

Damien thought about his family, his little brother. "We would have to leave our families?"

Katherine nodded. "As newborns, bloodlust will run in your system. If you're close to them, you could put them in serious danger."

"Come on, Dame," Sam pressed. "It's a chance to be immortal! You'll see your family whenever you want."

Damien looked at Katherine. "What's the plan?"

"I'm going to bite you and once you change, you're going to have to bite Sam because a girl can't turn another girl. We'll probably be out of here by midnight tonight."

"Tonight?" he asked alarmed. "You're expecting me to be able to pick up and leave in a night?"

"The choice is yours," Katherine said simply.

"Damien," Sam whined. "If you don't do it, I can't become a vampire."

Katherine frowned. "Don't do that, Sam. If Damien wants to he will but if not you're going to have to deal with that."

Damien was silent. "Are you going to leave tonight, with or without us?"

"Yes," Katherine answered. "But I really want you guys to come with."

Damien thought it over. He'd be lying if he said he never thought about Katherine leaving him behind. Or even worse, if he grew old while Katherine remained the same. But to be stuck in the body of a teenager forever? It was both appealing and repelling. He looked up at her, his vampire girlfriend. He loved her, wanted to be with her.

Damien rose to his feet. "I'll do it."

Katherine nodded and looked at the both of them. "Any questions?"

A pause then Sam asked, "Do vampire girls get their periods?"

"Sam!"

"What?" she asked grinning. "Vampire lesbians need love too." She and Katherine burst out laughing while Damien covered his eyes in exasperation.

Katherine shook her head slightly. "Well, since your reproductive system is warped and everything...the short answer is no."

"Score!" Sam shouted, pumping her fist in the air. "No more cramps!"

Katherine grinned widely then grew serious. She turned her attention to Sam. "I need you to go in the other room. This is not something I want you to see."

The younger girl pouted but left the room to stand in the kitchen. Katherine looked back at Damien.

"Is it going to hurt?" he asked innocently.

"No," she replied with a laugh. "It'll feel great. Like a gentle caress," she said, running her fingernails down his neck.

He smiled, a little weakly.

"You're nervous," she said knowingly.

"What gave me away? My sweaty palms or my trembling body?" he asked, still smiling.

She took his hands. "I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't necessary, Damien. You know that."

"Yeah, I know that." He sighed softly. "I've just got a weird unsettling feeling in my stomach. Something's not quite right." He looked her in the eye. "But I don't care. If it means being with you, I'd give up anything."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Have you been reading your mom's paperback romances?"

He laughed. "Darn, secret's out." But he grew serious again. "Do what you have to, Kat."

She gave him a deep kiss and smiled at him. Then she positioned her mouth over his neck and pierced him.

-

Katherine returned home to get sleep and go back to Damien's house at sunset, when the transformation would be complete. Sam was to do the same but she decided to stay with Damien in any case. Katherine sighed softly as she left the Hellsing Mansion, carting her stuff, thinking and rethinking her decision. This was going to be troublesome.

She traveled among the rooftops, enjoying the feel of the wind through her hair. Would Alucard come look for her? Thinking about it almost made her stop and turn around but the chance to go back was long lost now.

She jumped to the ground on Damien's block and walked to his house, pushing the door open without pretense.

"Sam?" she called into the house, slamming the door behind her. "Damien?"

A sudden spike.

She turned instinctively to catch Damien around the throat and drop him to the ground.

His change was very prominent. The glowing red eyes that stared at her with lust, his long brown hair tousled and wild, and his inch long fangs bared in a wide grin. He looked very feral.

"Katherine," he said huskily. "I was waiting for you."

She smiled. He was trying to hypnotize her with his voice and eyes. Only an amateur could make such a mistake. "How do you feel, Damien?" she asked lowly.

"Powerful," came his reply.

"Good." Katherine nodded. "I'm going to get off you now and if you try to attack me, I'll knock you right back down and I'll make it so you can't get up. You're a vampire now. I can break every bone in your body and not kill you. Understand?"

He searched her eyes, realized she wasn't bluffing. He nodded.

She rose to her feet and pulled him with her. She looked around. "Where's Sam? Did you hurt her?"

Damien shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. "She locked herself in the bathroom."

Katherine sighed softly and left the room and knocked on the bathroom door. "Sam," she called teasingly. "You can come out now."

The lock clicked and the door opened a bit, Sam's green eye revealed in the crack. She pulled open the door. "Hey Kat," she said brightly. "Good to have ya back."

"Are you okay?" Katherine asked.

She waved her hand dismissively. "Yeah, no problem. Good idea, by the way. Leaving me to babysit with a fanged monster whose probably got my strength and speed doubled. Oh no, make that tripled."

Katherine laughed softly. "Don't be mad. It was your idea to stay with him, wasn't it?"

She couldn't deny that.

Katherine took her friend's hand. "Come on already. We need to get out of here as soon as possible."

They returned to the living room where Damien was resting on the floor. At the sight of Sam, a bright hungry light entered his eyes. Sam stuck out at him.

"Calm down," Katherine advised. "Damien, come here."

Damien walked over to them, looked at Sam with a smile. "Her blood smells delicious."

Katherine gave him an exasperated look. "Dame, could you keep the comments to yourself?"

He wasn't listening. He was hypnotizing Sam now. "Nothing better than a virgin's blood, isn't there Katherine? Samantha, aren't you happy you didn't go all the way with that guy?"

Sam's face immediately darkened at the memory of a past boyfriend who had almost taken advantage of her in a very destructive way. She lashed out and slapped Damien across the face.

Damien grinned at her. "Ouch."

"Is he gonna be a jerk like this from now on?" Sam asked Katherine.

"No," she answered. "It's just a vampire's nature overtaking his system. His personality will come to rise in a day or two and he'll be back to normal."

"Good." She stepped forward and brushed her red hair back, exposing her neck. "Hurry up then."

Under Katherine's careful eye, Damien lowered his mouth to his neck and bit into Sam's neck. Sam gasped at the initial pain and grimaced. "Katherine," she called urgently, her panic rising. "Katherine."

Katherine latched onto the back of Damien's neck and separated them, catching Sam as she wobbled. She checked the wound. It was a little deeper than necessary but not life threatening. She gathered her in her arms.

"I'll move her to your room since your parents might be home soon." Katherine carried her up the stairs and settled her into Damien's bed. The latter followed, licking the blood from his face. He groaned from the taste of it.

"Katherine, what are we going to do now?"

She checked Sam's pulse, her skin temperature. "Once she's done, we're leaving."

"Where to?"

"Anywhere but here," she said curtly.

-

Three vampires traveled the night like jet shadows. Sam spun, head over heels, running through the night, screaming in joy.

"Sam, keep quiet," Damien instructed.

She ignored him, running ahead of the both of them.

"She seems happy," he observed.

"Oh, ya think?" Katherine asked with a grin.

They had set out the next night after Sam reawakened and had been traveling for half the night already. Katherine had packed up her clothes, her Batwing, and a couple of packs of medical blood to hold them over until they found a steady supply. She had kissed Seras goodbye and left without leaving a note.

God, how typical. It was so like Alucard to push away the people that loved him. Like mother, like daughter.

Sam was intoxicated with her newfound speed. She would travel a few feet and launch herself high into the air, twisting and twirling like a child with a new favorite toy.

Katherine didn't know where they were headed but she couldn't stop now. She had made her two closest friends vampires and they were heading for an extreme road trip. Too crazy.

Damien interrupted her thoughts by taking hold of her hand. "I know what you're thinking," he said with a grin.

"Keep out of my mind," she said smiling.

He pulled her to a stop. "I like this," he said with a smile. "But I'm going to go back soon. To see my family."

She looked away. "She hasn't stopped," she said, referring to Sam.

"She will. When she notices we've stopped following." He looked her in the eyes. "Katherine. God, this is the part where I insert some corny romantic phrase. I'm not good at that kind of thing."

Katherine nodded with a smile. "I understand."

He looked relieved then pulled her close, kissed her deep. She responded immediately, tangling her fingers in his hair. His lips began to travel to her throat to deliver a true vampire kiss.

"YO!" Sam shouted, finally noticing them. "Let's get moving, you guys!"

Katherine grinned, taking Damien's hand. "Come on, Dame. The night is still young."

And they followed, disappearing into the blanket of the shadows.

-

Alucard was in a rage. It took all of Seras' power and Integra's command not to follow Katherine and drag the stubborn brat back by her hair. But he decided if she wanted out, she'd have it. Over the years, he listened to rumors among the underground of the infamous Katherine and her friends. She was infamous? Well, damn.

He was secretly proud of her. She appeared to have grown into a true vampire. Her and her silly band of friends.

She had vanished. And he didn't see her again until ten year later when Hellsing was under his command.

Yeah, I gave away a future plot line. Folks, this is the end of Darkness Daughter. I'm not overjoyed with it but I didn't want to keep you waiting. I may revise it in the future.

Thank you all for keeping up with my story. I hope you enjoyed it.