A large, finely-crafted black coffin lay open in the middle of a dark, dank dungeon. Inside it lay a vampire. A male, with long, thick black hair and gleaming red eyes.

Alucard lay there, his hands behind his head, his legs crossed at the ankles, and stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought. There was a knock at the door, accompanied by a muffled "Master?" but he ignored it. The knock came again, and again, then a fourth time. Sighing, he pulled himself up into a sitting position, leaning against the sideboards of his coffin. Reaching over to a table a foot or so away, he grabbed his sunglasses and put them on, before unlocking his door telepathically.

"What is it, Police Girl?" he asked as she stumbled in.

"W-well...It's just that..." Seras Victoria mumbled, righting herself, but keeping her eyes downcast. "I've been worried about you."

"I'm fine. If that's all you wanted, you can leave now," Alucard said, returning his attention to the ceiling.

"But...Master..." Seras said dejectedly.

"I said I'm fine." The last word came out as a low growl.

Seras flinched at the dangerous note in her master's voice. Then, mustering up all her courage, she said "Master, I can't believe that. You've been in here for 3 days straight. I doubt you've even left your coffin. You won't even come when Sir Integra calls for you."

Alucard dragged his eyes over to meet his fledgling's, dipping his head so his glasses slid down the bridge of his nose a bit. His hair obscured part of his face as a result, but he didn't care. He stared at the girl for a long while before replying, "If Integra really needed me, I would know, and I would come. But she doesn't. My job is to protect her, not to keep her company. And you can take care of yourself." He felt a twinge of guilt at being so brusque with the Police Girl, but at the moment, all he really wanted was to be left alone. In fact, that was all he'd wanted for the past few days, which was why he'd holed himself up in his room, taking nothing to drink and allowing no visitors before now.

"I spend my nights and days

Locked away

They're all the same

I don't know how much more I can take

What's left to say, what's left to say,

What's left to say, what's left to say

'Cause life's too short to spend alone in misery"

Seras looked over at her master. "Alucard-sama, does this have anything to do with Walter?" she asked quietly.

Alucard's head jerked up. "This has nothing to do with anyone! Do you understand me, Police Girl?!" he barked savagely, but he couldn't keep the slight note of pain out of his voice. He looked over at the startled and frightened Police Girl and regretted his outburst immediately. He covered his face with a gloved hand and exhaled unecessarily.

It did have something to do with Walter. The moment he'd been informed that Walter had been kidnapped, he felt someplace inside of him crack. How could anyone kidnap Walter? The man was strong, fast, and highly skilled, even at his age. But that wasn't what bothered him the most. He missed Walter. In the worst way imaginable. He loved having his old comrade, his fellow soldier around, to chat with and reminisce with. Because there were times that even Alucard needed to vent and remember the old days. And not only did Walter share some of those memories with Alucard, but he was only too willing to talk about them, even if they were painful. The two were good for each other, in a therapeutic sort of way. They were united in their mission and their memories, and that made them a wonderful team.

"Sensation washes over me

I can't describe it

Pain I felt so long ago

I don't remember

Tear a hole so I can see

My devastation

Feelings from so long ago

I don't remember"

Alucard was startled when he felt a light touch on his cheek. He brought himself back to earth to see the Police Girl wiping away a single crimson tear that had snuck through his eyelids and begun to make its way down his face. He was as shocked as he usually was when he found himself crying, because it didn't happen often. He looked up at his fledgling, hating how vulnerable and pathetic he must seem to her at that moment. But Seras didn't seem to mind. She still observed him with a humble, respectful gaze.

He shot her a look that said "I'm still your master, this doesn't change anything." Then he said, very softly, "Thank you."

The Police Girl just smiled. "Alucard-sama, if this bothers you so much, why don't you just go find Walter and bring him back here?" she asked, stepping back a couple of inches to give her master a bit more space.

He stepped out of his coffin and stood before his fledgling. "Don't you think I wanted to do that from day one?" he asked, somewhat indignant.

"Then why don't you?" Seras asked, puzzled.

"...Integra wants me to stay here."

"Oh." Seras understood now why Alucard was not spending any time around Integra. He was angry.

"She says that she needs me around here. I could have been back with Walter by now, but instead she's had me just sitting around. What a waste of time," he said contemptuously, crossing his arms loosely.

"Well...you could always just leave without telling her," Seras suggested.

Alucard shook his head. "It doesn't work like that, Police Girl. I'm bound to her orders. Physically, mentally...Once she's given me a command, I have to follow it, no questions asked." He frowned.

Seras sighed. "There has to be some way to get Walter back. We'll be much better off with him on our side. Those Nazi blokes are a force to be reckoned with."

Alucard grinned, just a bit. "They're not as tough as they seem. We took them out 50 years ago, Walter and I..." he trailed off, his smile vanishing.

Seras raised her eyebrows. "Really? You two did? All by yourselves?"

Alucard looked sideways at the Police Girl. "Oh, yes. Though, at the time, the bulk of their troops were ghouls, so it wasn't that difficult. But yes. Walter used to be even stronger back then, when he was still young..."

Seras' eyes lit up. "Master, I've just had an idea!"

Alucard raised a thin, dark eyebrow. "Hm?"

"You said that you had to obey Sir Integra's orders, no matter what, right?"

"I fail to see where you're going with this."

"Well, you can still do something without her ordering it, right?"

"Of course."

"Then go find Walter."

Alucard opened his mouth, then closed it. If Integra had expressly ordered him to not search for Walter, he would have to obey. However, she had only told him that she wanted him to remain here, with her and Seras. There was no direct order involved. His little fledgling had found a loophole.

He grinned widely, then. "Good girl, Police Girl, very good." He glided over to where his bloodred coat and matching hat were hanging, and slipped into them, quicker than Seras could blink. He tousled her hair fondly. "If Integra asks, you had no part in this. It was entirely my idea. As a matter of fact, you don't even know that I'm gone. I can deal with Integra's wrath. You, on the other hand..." He smirked before ascending through his ceiling and the next several floors, finally floating up into the night sky. He breathed in the lovely scents and tastes of the night.

Then, after taking a second or two to gain his bearings and determine Walter's whereabouts, Alucard flew off at blinding speeds in the direction of the Nazi airships.

"I'm coming, Walter. Soon. Just hold out for a bit," he whispered.

"And I'll try to sleep to keep you in my dreams

'Till I can bring you home with me

I'll try to sleep, and when I do I'll keep you in my dreams "