Monsters Under the Bed

"You're a love to do this, thank you.", came the stuffy reply from Walter, bundled up to his neck in blankets. Seras Victoria smiled.

"My pleasure, you're in no shape to be up." The little vampire leaned over his night stand and added another paperback novel to the pile . She cleared up the empty box of tissues, and patted the old man gently on the head.

"Once I've finished up the laundry, I'll check in on you-call if you need anything." He breathed a congested sigh and she made her way out of his quarters.

The entire household staff had been suffering from a wicked bout of the flu, each servant passing it on from one to the next. The manor was huge and needed constant upkeep; a pandemic like this could leave the place in shambles for a week. However, the immortal servants of the house were quite well, immune to the illness and were pulling up a fair share of the slack. Seras quite enjoyed being useful in a non-violent manner, much to her master's chagrin

"Windows, silver wear polishing -LAUNDRY! ", he snarled, "I'm the bloody Scourge of Europe, the Cheshire King, the Prince of Darkness-I don't do laundry..." The girl cocked an eyebrow to her master and shook her head.

"Well, if we don't do it, who else will? ", she replied taking the basket of fresh linens from him."Besides, Walter told me how you two used to do household chores together when you were younger." Alucard eyes narrowed

"Oh really, and what else has Mr. Dornez been telling you about the good, old days?" She grinned impishly .

"That you were really cute when you were mad..." she sauntered off with the basket, heading for the stairs, leaving her master to stew.

"Hurry up and get better old man, so I can kill you..." he hissed.

Seras made her way down the hall to her mistress' chambers. Walter had entrusted her to dry and fold Sir Integra's personal laundry and bed linens. She had never stepped foot inside her bedroom, and crossing the threshold of the place felt almost sacred. The first part of the room was her personal study, a scholarly-looking area that appeared to belong in a university's library, not in a young woman's bedchamber . There was a large mahogany desk, similar to the one downstairs in the drawing room, a comfortable chair in a deep rust colour, and massive bookshelves filled with hard-bound novels, records and binders. The drapes were thick and a deep chestnut hue to match the carpeting. Off to the corner of the room, nearest to the light were a few huge aloe plants on low tables, their spiky leaves fanning out nearly touching the floor.

The bedroom itself was a bit brighter; the colours were still in the rich tones of plum, bronze, and brown, but hints of gold and green spotted the place. A slight eastern-feeling touched the decor with the embroidered floor-rugs and a few statues of Indian deities. Alucard had told her that they had been gifts from her mother, and kept them as some of her most prized possessions. She studied one intensely; a beautiful woman with at least eight arms rode on the back of a tiger, each hand banishing a sword. The little vampire thought that the lady on the tiger matched her lady's personality perfectly. The rest of the room was well furnished; huge carved wardrobe took up a great deal of space , and her bed was spacious.

"Ah, a bed-it's so big!" the vampire thought. There were times when she would gladly trade the tight confines of her coffin for the luxury of sleeping in a human bed. She had taken to occasionally sleeping in the Captain's when they had some quiet evenings alone together, but to have a bed this large all to one's self was, almost unthinkable. Seras began to hang up the suits and pressed, white shirts in the wardrobe, but her mind kept going back to the large, four-poster bed. It was made of carved mahogany and had a mound of soft, inviting pillows. The sheets were a pale beige colour and topped by a coverlet of deep, burgundy paisley.

Seras completed her task and went over to lay the thick comforter down. She could not help but to pat the soft mattress and look at the pillows longingly.

"I'm sure that she wouldn't mind if I just felt what it was like- I'll just make sure that I smooth it out later..." she thought as she sat down. The mattress gave way perfectly to her weight and she bounced on it a bit like a child, grinning in delight. Playfully, she plopped down on the pillows, burying her face in the softness . Her sensitive nose twitched.

There were also so many smells to take in! She breathed up the comforting scents that so defined her mistress; the spicy, slightly bitter tang of her cigars, the delicate scent of lavender, the rich smell of very expensive shampoo, and the soft, gentle essence of virginity. However, another smell, warm and powerful made her purr with recognition. Her master's scent was equally present. After all, he had been staying with Sir Hellsing though part of the nights now, watching over her. She could sense his strong presence and all the defining scents; the sharp, deep smell of earth, a sensual note of cloves and musk, the light copper of blood and a mixed echo of desire and frustration. She giggled a bit at the last one- poor master! The essence of chastity was firmly present, probably driving him up a wall every night.

"Good for you, Miss", she thought, nuzzling up against the smooth fabric, "Got to keep them waiting a bit.." She almost didn't want to imagine the frustration/ anticipation scent that must have rolled of the Frenchman's bed after their enforced chaste nights together. Her head became heavy and her body relaxed. It was only about 7 o'clock, her "day" was just beginning, but the bed was so cozy, so warm, that she didn't protest when she started to fall right back a sleep.

Integra felt horrid-her head ached and a dull pain nestled in her joints. The day had started nearly twelve hours ago and she was spent. She must have caught the bug that had been going around the house. The orders were past to have all her calls taken and the proposal for research held off until tomorrow. She made her way up the stairs, each step feeling like a mountain.

"Bit of rest, maybe a spot of tea and soup later, I'll be fine." she thought as she peeled off her gloves and started to undo her cravat. However, when she got to her bedroom, she was surprised to see that she had uninvited company. Curled up into a little ball on top of the comforter was her vampire servant- the other one. Lately, she had grown used to Alucard in her bed - in the literal sense of the off-colour term.( After all, their relationship was just beginning and in spite of their mutual frustrations, she wasn't going to shed her Iron Maiden's armor off just yet.) That she could handle, but this was just odd. She went over to the girl and patted her arm gently-she didn't stir. She poked harder, but still no response.

"Seras, would you mind getting up-I'd like to lie down." she stated. The girl didn't budge. Integra grew impatient "Vampire, as your master I command you to wake up!" Nothing. She whimpered-her head was starting to pound and she desperately craved some sleep. "Can you please get out of my damn bed, girl. I'm sick, I'm tiered and I want to rest!" The creature let out a wide yawn displaying a full mouth of razor-sharp teeth. Integra sighed. She slid off her shoes, removed her glasses, unbuttoned her blouse for comfort and resigned to the fact that there was no way that this large, potentially deadly house -pet was going to leave.

"Move over." she grumbled and positioned her body next to her servant's.

During the course of the nap, Integra felt a rather warm, little lump crawl on top of her chest. She lazily opened one eye, to reveal that her vampire was snuggling up to her, practically burying her face in her chest, purring contentedly like a large kitten. Her arm wrapped firmly around her waist, and the more she tried to wriggle away, the tighter Seras' grip became.

"I'm not your Captain."she squeaked-her ribs being crushed,"Air! I need air!" The woman was finally able to break a bit of the vice-hold, but the girl nestled into her curves and breathed a contented, little sigh. Integra drifted back into a peaceful rest, happy to have her rib cage in one piece.

Later on that Evening...

All the house was quiet and this made the vampire a bit edgy. He had neither seen nor heard from his servant nor master for a few hours and it was usually at this time of night when both of them were the most active. He had checked in on the butler who had been fast a sleep for several hours, a mystery novel splayed open across his chest. The rest of the staff was either bedridden themselves or trying to play a game of catch-up. Perhaps his servant was visiting her Frenchman. A smile crossed his features- a bit of quiet time was the perfect time to see his master and depending upon her mood, it could be a very pleasant evening indeed.

The vampire grabbed a bottle of red wine and two glasses from the kitchen. A little wine, a little conversation, a little affection... and who knows what else could happen. His grin widened with each step up to his lady's chambers, however, as he neared the door, a sensed another presence in the room with her.

Alucard turned the knob slowly, and crept into the study silently. He didn't make a sound as he entered the bedroom. However, he could not help but to chuckle just a little as he beheld both of his "girls"- the two of them sound a sleep, curled up around each other like vines. He placed the bottle of wine and glasses down on the vanity and made his way over to the sleeping beauties. For a moment, he contemplated joining them, but the result could be fatal... or extremely pleasurable . Once again common sense and carnality were in a tussle. Instead he sighed, sat down on the edge of the bed and smiled. Gingerly, he stroked the hair of his fledgling and pecked the top of her head .

"Good morning.", she stated softly. He gently leaned over further, brushed his master's cheek and kissed her quite differently.

"And a good night to you." he whispered.

Later on

As the two women woke up, rubbing their faces and wondering how in the world it got to be 11:30 so quickly, they both thought they were still dreaming when they saw the Captain and the Vampire sitting at the vanity drinking wine, both with a bemused expression on their faces.

"Sorry, didn't want to disturb you. I had to invite some company over, to help watch over you. After all, you were both sleeping so soundly, that we thought that there might be something wrong. After all, the only thing worse than monsters under the bed, is when they decide to making appearances on top of one. " the creature stated with an exaggerated look of concern on his face. The Frenchman had a broad grin and a half glass of Bordeaux present.

The women groaned and Integra covered her head with a pillow.

"Remind me to remember that when you try to visit in the future.", she grumbled. It was going to be a long night indeed...