He felt it, the small twinge of fear pulsing through him. Of course this wasn't his twinge of fear, oh no! This was someone else's, he tried to ignore it, instead shuffling a bit to get comfy. There was nothing and he gave a small victorious smile, when suddenly another nauseous feeling rushed through him.

"Oh for the love of…" He growled, fazing through the lid of his coffin and rubbing his eyes with one hand. "Sleep." He hissed. "Is it so hard to ask for a decent day's sleep?"

…

She woke in a blind panic, her body lurching forwards as she cried out. Her body couldn't move far though and her head smacked the top of her coffin. Her arms flailed to find space but the four walls of her undead-bed enclosed the small vampire, causing a whimper of distress to escape.

…

He watched all this with disbelief standing directly next to his fledgling's coffin. When I say watched I mean he saw her coffin wobble a few times and heard small sounds from within. One hand draped across his face in incredulity at her stupidity, he forced himself to take a large breath before finally he reached down, practically yanking her coffin lid of and glaring with untold rage at her.

"The lid my sweet the lid!" His voice dripped with venom as he watched Seras leap from her bed to stand a meter away. His eyebrow twitched as he realised she was breathing heavily despite having no need to breath now. Had she been human she would be sweating, alas nothing escaped her cold body.

He didn't wait for her to recover. "Police girl?"

Her nervous azure eyes flicked to him. "Master, what are you-"

"Doing here? Well." She withdrew slowly into herself under his gaze as he slowly turned to walk towards her. "For the last two months or so, I suppose you could say I've been feeling slightly…agitated." He drew the word out, snarling as he continued to cross the room to her. She noticed for the first time his attire and blushed.

He wore his usual black slacks, now ruffled and hanging low due to the lack of belt, his white shirt was completely unbuttoned giving her ample view of his defining features. However her face was glued to his as blazing scarlet eyes bore into her icebound blue ones and she continued to back away.

"Do you know why I am agitated police girl?"

She shook her head numbly and swallowed as her back hit the stone wall of her bedroom.

"Then I shall tell you." She gasped as his hands crashed down either side of her head, and his body loomed over her like a tidal wave.

"It is because you refuse to drink from me, and so we are bound. In this bond I am forced to endure you're oh so human fears." He spat the word human and she flinched again. "Now I'm a fairly patient being, I slept for over fifty years for god's sake, however when you cannot master you're fea-what are you doing?"

Her body had begun to twitch irregularly and he realised now that her eyes where brimming with crimson tears, thankfully not yet spilling over.

Alucard felt his rage slowly decline. He knew from experience she didn't respond well to being shouted at and chances were neither of them would get any sleep if he continued.

So instead he sighed, taking hold of her hand he pulled her across the room to where he sat in the only chair, then placed her on his knee.

She sat silently stunned for a few seconds.

"So tell me." Alucard started, his voice level now. "What is keeping us up?"

She frowned. "Don't you mean me up?"

He gave a short laugh. "No trust me, I mean us." He continued at her confusion. "Were you not listening? It's a knock on effect. When you're distressed I feel it and it keeps me awake."

"Oh." She said quietly, swinging her feet slightly, still uneasy at being so close to him. "Well…nightmares."

He resisted the urge to face-palm, instead giving her a deadpan look. "Nightmares…when you're the creature who is meant to cause others' nightmares…what could you possibly fear in this form?"

She gave the tiniest of shrugs and he did growl this time. She quickly edged away only to be prevented from leaving by a firm arm around her waist.

"Do not intend to leave, this is helping."

"…It is?"

"Yes, I'm being…affectionate." From the way she was forced further onto his lap she rather doubted this, but didn't say so. He continued. "What are you afraid of?"

She gave a small sigh, giving in to being shouted at again. "Losing others."

She waited for his assault on her human qualities but it never came.

Instead. "You cannot help it if they are weak."

She gave a cry of annoyance. "Oh for goodness sake master, this isn't helping, go back to bed and I'll try not to disturb you." She tried again to leave but was hauled even closer to his chest.

He held her for the few moments in which she struggled, but she was clearly tired as it didn't last long. Makes two of us, he thought.

He loosened his grip slightly and rested his chin atop her head despite how tense her body was. He thought of her predicament.

"Never forget Seras." He begun. "You are a vampire. You may not like this fact and you may not drink blood, however it is your inhuman strength that enables you to protect those weaker around you."

He smiled, more to himself then her for doing an actual decent job on the whole 'comforting' front.

"But I can't even protect myself." She whispered.

His smile was gone and he rolled his eyes, just when he thought he'd accomplished something.

"That's what I'm here for." He said, not even thinking before the words spilled out. There was tense silence before he felt her body relax slightly in his grip.

"Well actually I was entrapped by my master's ancestors' and now am here to serve Integra, but I am still available to protect you in my down time as well."

She laughed and he smiled, not because of his succession but because he rarely heard her laugh, and to be the cause of it felt…nice. Slowly, he felt her head rest gently against his shoulder. Master and fledgling sat like this for some time, content to be in each other's company, however Alucard was still tired and the moment had to end.

He sat up alerting her to this fact, but was stopped when he felt his stomach, or rather her stomach twist. He noticed her staring intently at her coffin and even Alucard had to admit how cold and lonely it looked in the middle of her room.

Thinking it over in his head quickly he sighed. May as well.

They both stood and again the no life king took Seras's hand, leading her to the far wall. She followed confused. "Umm, master? Where are we going?"

"To retire to my chambers of course."

"W-why?" He didn't notice the squeak in her voice.

"Tonight we will sleep together."

She stopped and it took him another two strides to realise his hand was clutching empty air. He glanced over his shoulder and to his amusement saw his fledgling standing, slightly stunned in the middle of her room. Her blue pajama shorts and top matched her eyes, her hair for once was untied and falling around her face in a mess of curls. Most of all he noticed the crimson shade her cheeks had taken on, her eyes wide.

"Err." She swallowed. "I-I don't think, um."

"Something the matter?" He purred.

She shook her head quickly. "Not at all! It's just that, umm…maybe…maybe some other, um, time?" Her voice decreased in volume as she spoke adding to his amusement.

He snorted. "I merely intended to share the same bed police-girl. However if you're offering you're services to me at a later date maybe I should have done this before."

Before she could respond he grabbed her hand again and hauled her through the wall.

They reappeared in his quarters and he realised the impracticality of sharing a coffin, so instead he turned his gaze to a king-size bed which sat in the corner of his room. Seras gaped at it.

"How come you get a bed!"

He shrugged. "Sometimes I like to stretch out." He nodded her over to it.

She pouted, muttering something about it not being fair but still eagerly clambering under the sheets. He smirked as she sighed happily, stretching her arms above her head and shuffling her feet around.

She let out a small squeak as she noticed him removing his shirt and slacks to reveal black silky boxer shorts. He noticed and grinned. "Are you sure that offer doesn't stand for now?"

She hid her burning face under the covers and felt rather then saw him climb in next to her. She poked her head up so the covers were just under her nose and smiled at him.

He smirked. "Good day police girl." And with that he closed his eyes.

Seras took this opportunity to shuffle closer to her master, eventually resting her head on his shoulder and breathing in his scent. When he didn't shove her away she relaxed, nuzzling in closer.

"Good day Master."