Sir Integral Hellsing slammed the door to her office shut behind her with a satisfying bang as she entered the chamber and stalked over to her desk. It was a childish outburst, and she knew it, but she was in a foul mood and it was a simple outlet. She didn't know what else she could possibly do to relieve some of her tension, short of shooting someone. Perhaps she could ask Alucard if he'd allow her to shoot him a few times. Just for good measure. He'd be no worse for wear after all.

Pulling out her large chair she sat down behind the desk and rested her head on her hands. Her head was pounding, she really should call for some tea and a painkiller. Looking at the pile of papers on her desk she supposed that she should get some of it done, but she wasn't quite feeling up to the task. It had been a long and difficult day with many meetings and complaints from the Knights. There were days – days like this one – when she felt rather lonely, and she hated the feeling. There were times when she missed Walter. The bastard.

"Troubling thoughts?" A dark voice asked.

Looking up Integra found Alucard standing on the opposite side of the desk, his customary cocky smile on his lips. "I suppose," she said coolly. "That it would be too much to ask for you to knock before you enter?"

"Quite," he agreed easily. "So, what troubles you, Master?"

"Nothing," she said, then leaning back in the chair and rubbing her hand between her eyebrows she amended truthfully. "Everything. Both, I suppose."

"Ah," Alucard said smoothly. "My master shoulders too much. You should find some way to relax. I have heard it is considered healthy for you humans to relax now and then, and I don't see you doing much of that."

Removing her hand to look at him Integra scoffed. "Relax? I don't have time for relaxation."

"Perhaps," Alucard said, sitting down on the edge of the desk, mussing up some of her papers. "You need to make time for some relaxation."

"I wouldn't even know where to start," Integra muttered as she pulled some papers from underneath his red coat before he damaged them beyond repair. Why was he even bringing this up? He wasn't exactly known to be looking after people's comforts. You were much more likely to find him shooting some vampire's head off than fluffing the pillows behind someone's back. The mental image of that almost made her smile.

"Oh, I know the best way of relaxation."

Judging from the way his dark, crimson eyes were glinting Integra knew she would regret asking, yet she did. "And what would that be?"

He chuckled. "Why, sex of course. A good romp will do anyone good."

Yep, she definitely regretted asking. Trust Alucard to take the conversation somewhere she really did not want to go. It wasn't as if she had never thought about it. While she wasn't a physical or overly emotional person by any standards, she had pondered the possibility. She didn't like to be in the dark about anything, and she found her knowledge sorely lacking in this area. So yes, she had considered it. Just to know of course, a purely scientific approach. A quest for knowledge.

It would be so easy. Go to a ball or party. Meet some decent bloke and follow him home. No, she amended, she'd take him to her home. And…

"Integra," Alucard interrupted her thoughts with a disgusted look on his handsome face. "Surely you are not considering soiling your body by the touch of some dirty human man?"

"Stay out of my head, Alucard!" Damn him for reading her mind when she was entertaining such silly ideas. She certainly hoped she wasn't blushing. That would simply be too much.

He still looked disgusted by the very idea.

"It was your suggestion to begin with," she muttered angrily, feeling the need to defend herself.

"Yes," he conceded. "But…" He shook his head as if to clear it from the vile image. "No. You together with some low-life human. I will not have it."

Integra scoffed. "Logic obviously fails you. Since I don't see who else I would have sex with." She raised an eyebrow. "Certainly you would not suggest I take a… what did you call it? Take a romp… with you?"

There was a moment's silence when they both stared at each other and Integra desperately wished that she could read the look in his eyes. At times she wished he was not the only one able to probe the mind of another. Especially since he was such a difficult man to read, and she really liked being in control. Finally a smile spread across his mouth and he said lightly, "No, of course not." The smile turned into a wicked grin. "You can always pleasure yourself. No man required for that."

"For God's sake!" Integra stood up abruptly. "I will not have this conversation with you, Alucard! It is beyond ridiculous! Leave me be."

He leaned across the desk and touched her chin with his glove-clad hand. She didn't waver but stood still and met his probing gaze, quite certain that he was trying to read her mind again, but she kept it blank.

Eventually he chuckled. "Very well, I shall leave you alone. But you should relax, in whatever way you find most suitable."

"I will take a hot bath," she muttered. "That's relaxation enough."

"Well, a bath is the perfect place to…"

She silenced him with a quelling look and he simply smiled, sketched a bow and disappeared.

oOoOoOoOo

"You called?"

The old man looked up at the quiet voice. Seeing his new employee he nodded. "Yes, I did. I have a mission for you."

"Please do tell."

"I want you to dispose of someone."

His employee smiled coldly. "Always a pleasure."

"This one won't be so easy," he warned. "I am speaking of Sir Integra Hellsing. She is becoming a nuisance and I believe we can accomplish much more if we will see no more of her. Without her as head of the Hellsing Organisation they will not accomplish much, in fact, I suspect they would disappear since there are no other members of the Hellsing family."

"I can accomplish this," his employee promised. "In fact, I am quite looking forward to it."

"Good," the old man said. "Let me know if you run into trouble."

oOoOoOoOo

A hot bath could be quite relaxing, Integra decided as she pulled the towel around her wet body. Her headache was nearly gone and she felt much revived. Alucard could go to hell with his ideas. She didn't need a man, or any such enjoyments at all. She was the head of the Hellsing Organisation and she had much more important things on her mind. Didn't she? Pulling a hand through her long, wet hair she looked at the bathroom mirror, but saw no reflection since its blank surface was covered from the steam.

Rather than putting on her nightgown as usual she entered her bedroom and walked over to the mirror on her dresser. Was she being foolish? Was she resisting something that most humans considered pleasant? But what use could she possibly have of a man in her life? She really could see none. Yet, if she were to… Just to know. To try just once to be a regular woman simply enjoying the company of a man…

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she tried to be objective. She supposed she could get a man if she wanted to. She was still young, her skin flawless and free of wrinkles. Being in her mid-twenties, she had to admit that there were days when she felt at least one hundred, but at least it didn't show.

Feeling somewhat self-conscious she loosened the knot on the towel and let it fall to the ground. Watching her reflection in the mirror she supposed she looked okay. Her body was tall and slender, with long legs and her platinum blonde hair reached well below her waist. Running her hands over her form she watched the reflection objectively, and almost jumped when suddenly instead of her own dark blue eyes a pair of dark crimson was staring back at her.

Turning around she faced Alucard who was standing behind her, a bemused smile playing on his lips. How dare he enter her room now? She willed herself not to blush. God, this was humiliating.

"You don't find it rather tacky to spy on people in their private bedrooms?" she asked coldly, fighting the urge to cover herself with her arms – it would only amuse him.

"Not at all," he said easily as his eyes roamed over her body. "You know, it is much more pleasant if someone else's hands caress your body."

The ravenous look in his dark eyes made her want to fidget, but she wouldn't. Damn if he were to have that kind of power over her. Standing still and accepting his roving eyes she waited for him to speak again. Let the damn bastard look if he wanted to. She was no blushing maiden. Or well, she supposed she was, but she refused to act like one.

"I always did wonder," he mused, his eyes finally coming back up to meet hers. "If you were blonde everywhere. Turns out you are."

This time she could not keep a light flush from her face. Damn him. "With your habit of spying I would have guessed you'd seen me naked countless times." Walking across the room, trying to ignore his gaze following her she pulled her robe from a peg and pulled it on.

"Alas, I have not." He smiled. "You always change in your bathroom, and even I don't enter the privacy of that."

"Really?" She didn't quite believe it. "I really did not think you had any boundaries regarding someone's modesty."

"I don't," he happily agreed, then added with a grimace. "However, there are certain… aspects of human physiology that does not interest me to watch."

He walked over to where she was standing and looked down at the robe concealing her naked body. Lifting his hand he put a few glove-clad fingers against her chest, pushing gently at the robe. "You look much better without it," he said quietly.

Integra held the edges of the robe together a little tighter, ignoring the electric feeling of his hand against her. "What are you playing at?" she asked warily.

There was no answer, his gaze was locked on his hand as he let it slide gently down her chest and then gently brushed her breast with his knuckles. She had to bite back a gasp. Dear lord, what was he doing to her? Such a simple touch, yet it made her body respond in ways she had never anticipated. It was both glorious and utterly terrifying that he – her vampire and servant – could so easily provoke the response.

"See," he mumbled hoarsely, his eyes coming up to meet hers. "You are not completely made of ice."

When he put his hands over hers and removed them from where they were clutching the robe shut she didn't resist. This caused Alucard to smile a little. It was a devious smile, so sexy that Integra felt like curling her toes into the carpet of her bedroom floor. What was she doing? Leaving her hands at her sides one of Alucard's came back to sneak in underneath the thin fabric of her lace robe.

The feeling of his gloved hand around her breast was intoxicating, even if slightly odd and unfamiliar. When his thumb rubbed greedily over her nipple a groan escaped her lips and she closed her eyes. This could not be happening. She could not be feeling this. Not now… Not with Alucard!

She could feel his hot breath against her throat as he pulled closer and whispered in her ear, "You feel damn good… I always knew you would."

The husky tone of his voice did something to her innards. It felt strangely much like they did a somersault right inside her stomach. Oh, she must stop this. If only it didn't feel so incredibly good. A shiver of pleasure shot down her spine as his lips caressed the sensitive skin just below her ear. She wanted more, and it terrified her. Then she felt the light rasp of one of his fangs against her skin – and whether it had been intentional or not – it brought her out of her haze quicker than a bucket of cold water would have.

"Alucard!" she snapped. "Stop!"

He looked up, his dark eyes searching hers. "Very well," he agreed after a moment and took a step away. "For now."

She wanted to ask what he meant by for now, but he was gone before she could open her mouth.