I needed something to do in my free time. This will (eventually) be 100 AxI ficlets themed after whatever song is playing on my iPod while I'm writing, with no duplicates. The story will either be themed after the song, have the song's lyrics interposed in the story, or have the characters quoting the lyrics, or any combination of the three. I am not doing this as a part of an "official" challenge. This is a personal challenge. There will be touches of AU and OOC-ness throughout the ficlets.

That said, I own nothing. No songs, no Hellsing, no nothing.

This ficlet was written at two different times, which is why the ending might seem a little off from be beginning.

Enjoy!

01. "Take My Hand" – Simple Plan

'What a night', thought Alucard with a sigh as he took a seat in one of the spindly little chairs scattered around the ballroom. He hadn't seen his master for hours. Upon arriving, she had been swept away by eligible bachelors before she could even put away her coat.

Boredly, the vampire tapped into his master's mind. With any luck, she'd be plotting the violent death of the last man to step on her toes. However, instead of rage, he found… distress? As nonchalantly and discreetly as is possible for a towering vampire in red concerned about his master's wellbeing, Alucard made his way to where he knew Integra would be.

She was sitting in a dimly lit hall at the bottom of a staircase, somewhere not terribly far from the restrooms but definitely off the beaten path of those attending the ball. Her hair and gown were disheveled and tears made tracks down her cheeks. Hurriedly, she tried to wipe away the tears as she both heard and felt her servant approach.

"What happened, Master?" inquired Alucard as he took a seat on the stair below the one Integra sat on.

The knight simply shook her head and said nothing.

Alucard watched his master carefully, taking in every detail of her current appearance. "Why didn't you call me," he finally said after a few moments.

"I didn't want a murder on my hands," said Integra as she wiped her eyes one last time and pushed a stray lock of pale blonde hair behind her ear.

"What are you going to do now?"

"I can't very well go out there looking like this," said Integra, motioning to her mussed hair and dress. As an afterthought, she added, "I don't even want to know what my face looks like right now."

"Come with me," said Alucard as he stood and offered his hand to his master.

"But I-", Integra started.

"You said you couldn't go out there," said Alucard with a shrug. "What's the point of staying if you're going to sit back here the entire time?"

"I can't just-", she protested.

"With the sheer amount of people here, I doubt one person leaving early will be missed," pointed out Alucard.

"Very well," said Integra with a sigh as she took her servant's hand. When Alucard began leading her away from the main exit, Integra voiced a bit of concern regarding their destination.

"There is more than one way out of the building," said Alucard simply.

"But it's raining," said Integra. "I don't even have a coat."

Without a word, Alucard removed his coat and set it on Integra's shoulders. He also placed his hat on her head.

The pair was silent the rest of the way to the exit Alucard had chosen.

"Where would you like to go?" inquired the vampire as soon as both he and his master were outside of the building.

Integra thought for a moment before carefully replying, "Let's just walk."

With that, the two stepped out from beneath the shelter of the building and into the pouring rain. Within minutes, Alucard was soaked, though he didn't seem to mind much. Integra managed to stay fairly dry beneath his coat and hat.

After a while, Integra spoke up. "Do you have any destination in mind, or do you aim to walk through the night?"

Alucard brushed past a man going the opposite way on the sidewalk before replying. "If you'd like a destination, we can find some place to go. I, myself, don't have one in particular."

Integra nodded and halted in front of the first coffee shop she found. "I want a cup of hot tea," she said as she stood in front of the door.

Alucard said nothing, but opened the door for Integra. Luckily for the pair, the coffee shop was almost empty. The few there either didn't notice or didn't care that a tall, damp man in a Victorian-style suit and a woman clad in a formal dress and what appeared to be the man's odd red coat and hat had just entered the small shop.

Integra ordered and, just as she went to grab her handbag in search of her wallet, realized that she had left it at the ball. For a moment, she looked crestfallen and was about to cancel her order. Before she could say anything, however, Alucard produced a wallet from somewhere in his suit. It was Integra's.

"Where did you get that?" hissed Integra as she and Alucard sat down at a booth.

"You almost left it," said Alucard with a shrug.

"That doesn't answer my question."

"I know," said the vampire as he tucked her wallet back into his suit.

Integra sighed and took a sip of her tea. The hot liquid was refreshing after walking through the cool, rainy night. As soon as she was finished, she stood and made her way toward the exit. Alucard, of course, followed.

"Where to now, Master?" asked the vampire. "Home?"

"How would we get there?" wondered Integra aloud.

"We could always to back to the ball and retrieve the car. And your coat and handbag."

"Yes," said Integra as she considered that particular option. The ball would be ending at about the time they got there. With any luck, they could slip into the crowd, grab her things, and be gone before anyone realized she had even left and come back. "That will do."

With a nod, Alucard started back to the ball, Integra not far behind.

When the pair reached the ball, they could tell that it was still going on, but would be ending soon. They could hear the music coming from inside.

"May I have this dance?" inquired Alucard as he offered his hand for the second time that night.

After a moment of thought, Integra took her servant's hand and the two danced in the rain to the music that came from inside. The steps were a bit unfamiliar to Integra, but Alucard led her with ease through the dance.

As the music ended, master and servant stepped apart. When people began spilling from the doors, Alucard and Integra slipped in among the crowd unnoticed. Integra received her coat and bag, Alucard removed his coat and hat from Integra, and the pair sat in silence on the way back to the Hellsing manor, both reflecting on the night.