The Butterfly Effect

Disclaimer: I don't own any material contained within this story. All copyrighted content remains the property of the person, people, or organization that holds the copyright. This story is solely for fun.

AN: I'm shamelessly ripping somethings off from the wonderful Bourne series with this story. (My sincerest apologies to Robert Ludlum.) Hopefully though this will be original enough to still hold everyone's attention.

Warning: Updates to this fic will likely be infrequent and chaotic... There is even the possibility that I will just delete this entirely- I'm still not sure if I actually want to write this one or not. We'll see how the beginning goes.

Expanded Summary: It is said that all fiction is can be described as simply asking the question "What if?" And then attempting to give an answer to that question. Hirano asked the question, "What if Abraham hadn't killed Dracula? What if he'd tamed the monster instead and turned him against the rest of his kind?" An interesting and thought provoking question to be sure. But you already know how that turned out. So, here is a new question for all of you. "What if Seras never went to Cheddar?" If the consequences of every decision we make ripple outwards- like waves in water, then what would be the end result of Seras never having joined D-11 and never being dispatched to Cheddar? In this fic, I will attempt to give one possible outcome to that scenario.

Chapter 1: To Raise the Dead

Time: One Year Ago.

Seras took a deep breath before entering her captain's office. The young police officer new that her superior would not be pleased with her recent action. She opened the door slowly. "You wanted to see me, Sir?"

The captain sighed and motioned for Seras to sit down. She did- taking one of the empty chairs across the desk from her superior.

"Officer Victoria, you know why you're here, don't you?"

The look on Seras's face clearly indicated that she did, yet the young police officer didn't say anything in response to the question.

"I told you to stay away from him. He's got powerful friends- even a couple in Parliament for crying out loud! You can't... you can't just harass him like that."

"Sir, that... man," Seras emphasized the word as if referring to him as a 'man' was a gross insult to the entire gender. "Jacob Conway is a criminal- one of the worst in all of London... and directly responsible for the brutal murder of both of my parents!"

The captain paused after Seras's outburst. He gave her a moment to calm herself before continuing in a quiet but firm tone, "That... may be, but you have no proof."

"I saw him!" Seras objected.

"You think you saw him, and that was eleven years ago," the captain countered.

Seras stood up, her anger rising as the conversation continued. "When an eight-year-old sees both of her parents brutally slaughtered in front of her and her mother's dead body raped, it tends to leave an impression!" she nearly screamed. "I will never forget the faces of those men. They are burned into my mind- I see them in every single one of my nightmares," the girl growled in an unusually deep sounding voice.

"But you have no proof."

"I-"

"And he has an alibi!" the captain continued, cutting Seras off as he finally rose from behind his desk. "And we never recovered any of his fingerprints or DNA from the scene. We couldn't sustain an indictment back then, and we certainly can't sustain one now!" The captain pounded on his desk, more out of frustration than anger.

He'd been Leon Victoria's partner back when the officer and his wife were murdered, and he would've liked nothing better than to lock up the scum responsible. But that just wasn't an option. They had nothing on Jacob, and the only thing Seras's harassment was going to do was end up getting her career flushed down the loo... or worse- get her kicked off the force entirely. And he didn't want to see either of those things happen. She was a good bobby and showed a lot of promise. Plus he owed something to his old partner.

The captain sat back down. "You know, Leon and I had a deal? If something happened to one of us, the one left alive would do what he could to look out for the other's family. With that in mind... I've arranged a transfer for you- department 11, special forces and counter terrorist ops." The captain picked up a folder from his desk and handed it over to Seras. You'll be the youngest female ever to join the division. It's quite a feather in your cap, and more importantly... it gets you out of the old neighborhood- away from Jacob."

Seras just stared at the folder. She could hardly believe what she was being offered. Department 11 was made up of only the very best, and she was barely more than a rookie. It certainly would be a feather- a huge feather -in her cap. As the strawberry-blonde continued to stare at the folder anyone could see that she was seriously considering the transfer. Besides, like her captain pointed out, they really didn't have anything on Jacob. Wouldn't her parents have wanted her to take the transfer? Wouldn't they have wanted her to move on? Wouldn't her father have been pleased to see his daughter join department 11? Yes, yes- he would've.

Seras held the folder for another moment... then she shook her head and dropped it back onto her captain's table. Screw what her parents would've wanted! They lost the right to such considerations when they left her all alone- when that bastard took them away. And she was going to make damn sure he paid for it! Without another word, Seras stormed out of her captain's office.

He just shook his head and reached for his bottle of ulcer medication. That stubborn girl was going to put him back in the hospital... He just knew it.

Time: Three Months Ago.

Alucard laughed as the metal spear flew from his busted gun, impaling the vampire who called himself "Incognito". The creature was trash. Even after taking Set into him, the vampire had barely proved a challenge to Alucard... and that was with the No-Life King's final art restriction still in place.

Alucard laughed, and then he heard an unexpected cry. Turning to his right, the No-Life King was just able to make out the form of the blond haired 'faker'* who had charged him. Apparently he'd missed one of the artificial vampires earlier. Oh well, it didn't matter. The... thing would be easy enough to dispose of.

The blond vampire's body collided with Alucard's and the two tumbled off of the rooftop. Alucard merely chuckled in amusement and then used his shadow tendrils to rip the young whelp apart. However, the No-Life King had made a miscalculation. He tore the faker apart without any problem, but he'd forgotten to keep an eye on where the two of them were falling. Too late, Alucard realized the unbelievable stroke of luck the young whelp had had. With a large splash, the No-Life King's body fell into the Thames river.

Alucard struggled for a few seconds, trying to levitate his body free of the flowing mass of water that was sapping his unnatural powers and draining the (un)life from him, but it was no use. The speed he'd been travailing at had propelled him too far beneath the surface. And as he just barely managed to raise his head above the water line, the last bit of his strength slipped away. His now lifeless body quickly disappeared once more into the river's murky depths.

Time: Present Day.

Seras reached the morgue and reminded herself not to get her hopes up too much. This certainly wouldn't have been the first promising lead that failed to pan out. Still, she couldn't help but feel somewhat... optimistic. Jenny wouldn't have called her unless the coroner had found something. Seras took a deep breath and then opened the door and stepped inside.

The police girl found her friend hunched over the corpse of a stranger. Seras walked over. "Who's he?"

Jenny looked up. "Him? No one- just a floater they pulled from the Thames earlier today," she answered. "Hmmm, must be starting to warm up if the bodies are rising to the surface- you know what they say about spring and the first floaters?" the red head continued almost absent mindedly.

"So, he's not the reason you called me down here?"

"Oh, heavens, no. He's just some waterlogged stiff the rest of you bobbies dumped on my doorstep and expect me to identify." The coroner cast an appraising look down at the corpse. "Kind of too bad too. Nice facial structure, tall, well built- probably pretty handsome in life," she mused. "Too bad they only come my way after they've stopped breathing. Heaven knows I could use a bloody date," she half joked before pushing the metal slab- holding the body -back into the morgue wall and sealing the small door in front of the opening.

"No, your stiff's over here." Jenny led Seras over to an examination table. "Madam Lorina da-jur, the call girl you brought me yesterday. I was able to scrape some foreign skin out from under her nails," Jenny paused and looked over at Seras. The coroner's posture betrayed a slightly playful air- though her face carefully concealed any emotions that might give away what she'd discovered.

"And?!" Seras questioned, more out of anticipation than frustration at the way her friend was letting her dangle.

"And," Jenny replied, drawing the word out. "It's a match. Congratulations, Seras, you now have proof that Jacob knew this girl before her death." The police girl's face beamed, and Jenny smiled. Sure, she could've just filed her report and let Seras find out that way. But she knew how important catching Jacob was to her friend, and the coroner had wanted to see the look on Seras's face when she got the good news... It was worth it.

However, before the two had a chance to break out the figurative bubbly, what should've been one of the happiest days in Seras's young life quickly became one of the worst since the loss of her parents. The morgue door was kicked open and two masked men- each holding a machine gun -burst into the room. They sprayed Jenny with a torrent of bullets before either girl had a chance to react.

Perhaps the one saving grace was that Seras's police training kicked in and she quickly ducked and rolled away from the gunfire. That instinctive reaction kept her from seeing her friend's body ripped open by the assault. Although Seras could not wholly escape the blood splatter- which tinged parts of her blue uniform to a dark maroon color.

The police girl finished her roll and came up firing her side arm. She nailed one of the masked men in his shoulder- the impact causing his body to recoil backwards. Seras used this opportunity to finish the man off. However, before she could train her gun on the other man, he already had her pinned to the wall.

The second gunman had lost himself in the thrill of his first kill and emptied his entire clip into the coroner As a result, he wasn't prepared to shoot the remaining woman; and, recognizing that reloading his gun would likely take more time than he had, he simply charged the police girl instead. He grabbed her, lifted her up and pinned her to the wall.

The smell of blood and death permeated the air as the two struggled for control over Seras's still loaded pistol. But the police girl knew it was a battle she couldn't win. The man was taller and broader than she was. He had her in the raw strength department, and despite her best efforts, he was going to get that gun. So, rather than continue trying to regain control over her side arm, Seras kneed the man in his groin and used her hands to push him back. Firmly grasping a nearby scalpel, she started to lunge at the man- hoping that he'd remain stunned long enough for her to slice through his throat. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Seras cut her lunge short as she felt the cold, hard barrel of her own gun being pressed against her forehead. "Miserable bitch," the killer growled, and Seras saw her life beginning to flash before her eyes. But then, before the gunman could pull the trigger, a metallic banging sound started from somewhere behind him. "What the..." the man asked; and Seras, seeing that he was distracted and that this was her best chance to do something to turn the tide, quickly jammed the scalpel into the man's neck. Unfortunately, she missing the carotid artery.

Still, he reeled back in pain and shock; but, as he did so, he also jerked his finger against the pistol's trigger. The shot was unaimed, but that was of little comfort to Seras, as the bullet ripped through her femoral artery. It passed right through and came out the other side of her thigh, but the fact that it was a 'through and through' once again wasn't comforting. With her femoral artery cut, Seras was bleeding fast and knew that she only had minutes to live unless she could find someway to stop the bleeding. Her hands went to the inside of her thigh as she tried to clamp down on the wound and slow the blood loss as much as possible.

Meanwhile, the gunman recovered and brought the pistol back up. He swore and aimed at Seras's head. However, just then one of the cells (where the dead bodies were locked up) burst open. And, faster than could be seen by the human eye, a figure wrapped itself around the gunman.

The figure just stood there, holding the gunman in a vice like grip- its mouth covering the murder's neck. And Seras recognized that the figure's form was that of a tall, dark, hansom... and very nude man. However, the sight before her seemed more befitting that of a monster.

The gunman's body shriveled up unnaturally as the monster- that had sprung from the resting place of the dead - locked glowing red eyes on the police girl. In less than a minute, the creature tossed the gunman's lifeless husk away and then leapt at Seras. She shrieked and moved her hands to cover her neck. But instead the monster went for her thigh- where her life blood was still flowing from the gunshot wound.

Savagely he (it?) tore at her pants- shredding them to pieces, and then he bent his head and began to lap at the girl's wound. And Seras, despite trying to protest and push the monster's head away, found herself filled with a previously unknown... ecstasy.

As the monster's saliva worked its way into the police girl's blood stream, she quickly lost both the strength and will to fight him off. Soon her hands just laid helplessly at her side while the young girl quietly moaned and trembled weakly.

But the saliva had another effect- besides simply stimulating the pleasure center of the human brain. Seras's wound began to close, and her blood loss slowed. The monster growled in disapproval at having his meal cut short. He opened his mouth wide and was just about to bite down, but then he hesitated and pulled back.

When he'd first risen and burst out of his death chamber, the creature was feral. It knew only hunger and operated solely on instinct. But now, now it had fed just enough for a spark of reason to return to its mind. The monster stood up and looked around, then it looked down at the police girl- who'd already passed out from a combination of blood loss, exhaustion... and the drain of coming down from the artificial high induced by the monster's 'kiss'.

Finally, the creature looked down at his own bloodied hands- his face holding and expression of confusion and shock. "I... What am I?" the monster questioned. Then his face turned back to the unconscious girl lying on the floor. He picked her up and slung her over his shoulder.

The monster wasn't sure how or why, but the blood he'd drank had come with flashes of memory. The first victim had been dark, psychotic and utterly devoid of higher reasoning. He was trash, and the monster left his body there to rot... But this girl? She was different. Pain, suffering, perseverance, intelligence and a strange purity of spirit? There was something about her... something interesting.

The monster moved quickly and quietly, sneaking the two of them out of the morgue without anyone seeing. Then he searched through the memories he'd gotten from the girl. He was looking for a safe spot to hide himself and the girl, and he found one. Her apartment was near. He'd take her there, and let her rest... for now.

*This is the faker Seras made swallow a Harkonnen shell near the end of the anime.

(Well, what did you think? Please review and let me know if you liked it, thanks.

Have a good day, and God bless.

Metropolis Kid.)