A/N: Hello! After re-reading Formal and Fancy, listening to some criticism (which I'm deeply grateful for) and judging the chapter pretty bad, I decided to rewrite it; I didn't intend to change a lot, but turns out that's what ended up happening. I think it's reasonably better than the first version, but you can decide on your own. I tried to keep the original idea and only change the execution (with less OOC-ness, less exposition and more action), but that didn't quite work out. Theoretically this isn't a new chapter, but it's so different from the original that I guess it can count as one. It's also shorter, which I'm not sure is a good or a bad thing.

Oh, by the way. Thank you very much for the follows and alerts! I wasn't expecting this fic to attract new readers when it's been so long since I last updated it, so it really warms my heart to know there's someone out there willing to give it a read. :)

Formal and Fancy V.2

"I'll be down in a second, Walter," Integra announced as she left the living room and made her way towards the stairs.

The butler nodded at his charge. "Your guests will be here in about half an hour, miss."

The carpet muffled the sound of her steps. "I know, I just need to get something; also, please do make sure Alucard's ready."

Walter bowed with a short movement. When his master disappeared inside her bedroom, he turned around and began a lazy walk towards the dungeons. He stopped at a table to rearrange two misplaced glasses of wine: the whole staff had worked hard to make sure Integra's eighteenth birthday party would be something to remember, so no imperfection would go unnoticed.

He resumed his stroll, the artificial lights of the mansion creating shadows at different walls as he advanced. He surveyed the furniture as he walked by, recalling all the tiny details that pleased each particular member of the Convention of Twelve and their relatives. He sighed, satisfied that his princess was a lot more perceptive than her father, particularly when it came to the more obnoxious of their colleagues.

"It's my birthday alright, which is precisely why I want them as comfortable as possible. If their lives aren't miserable, then my life isn't either," he smiled to himself, as her words replayed in his mind. A cozy environment would hardly make up for the displeasure the knights would feel having the monster amongst them, but Walter would not argue against the maiden's decision.

In fact, he looked forward to seeing it play out. When a few days ago Integra informed them Alucard would personally accompany her, both hunter and vampire remained speechless for a few moments, attempting to process the message. She began growing impatient, so the monster cautiously broke the silence.

"You… wish me at your side for your party, my lady?" He asked in a submissive tone adorned by a quizzical look.

Integra smirked. "Absolutely. Walter will be busier this time, so I'll need an appropriate escort. Would you rather see your poor master attend the event all by herself?"

Alucard's eyes shone as his incredulous expression contorted into beaming delight. This excitement to be a part of the celebration caught Walter off-guard, but he knew it had nothing to do with the party itself, let alone the people attending it. The count raised from the chair he was sitting on and threw himself towards his owner, falling to his knees in front of her. The butler struggled to not snicker at the dramatic display, even more so when the vampire delicately took her hand and kissed it.

"I would rather die, master."

The Hellsing director nodded, cupping his face and causing the monster to purr. "Very good. Now, don't you have somewhere to be?"

He planted another soft kiss on her fingers, gave her a short nod, and disappeared through the shadows covering the floor. Now that the two were alone, Walter put his hands behind his back and turned towards her.

"Are you certain about this, princess? Alucard's always been a slave; having him share the same spaces as the Convention might be…," he paused for a moment to think of a word. "...complicated."

Integra sighed. "I know, Walter. I know what they think of him, but I want to show them I can control Alucard as efficiently as father did, using my own methods."

He smiled softly. "You have already proven you are a capable commander, miss."

Her brows furrowed, the moonlight shining through the open window accentuating her determined features. "Capable isn't enough. I need to be powerful, too. And if they still won't see that I am, at least their families will."

A small chill ran down Walter's spine as he recalled that moment. As the visions were fading away, he had climbed down the stairs and crossed the hallway towards the monster's chambers. He knocked on the door softly, and a resonant "come in" was heard from the other side. Walter pushed the door open and was greeted by the Hellsing vampire, dressed in the usual formal suit he wore underneath Abraham's crimson coat, standing a few feet ahead. The overcoat itself was nowhere to be seen.

"Good timing, Angel," his white pointy teeth flashed, and he gestured for the butler to walk inside. Walter nodded, closing the door behind him.

"You are looking quite fancy," the butler commended with a smile. He wondered again how the Convention would react to Alucard's presence, especially when he looked so refined; that was a facet of his character the Hellsing family had never bothered to encourage, until their current directorship.

The vampire moved next to his throne, staring at his former battle partner. "My master deserves nothing less. I only wish I could be better but, alas, I am not human." He began adjusting his cravat with immaculate precision.

Walter observed the vampire's elegant movements with curiosity. It amused him how Alucard could be such a brute when it came to war, but such a gentleman regarding matters concerning their leader, a behavior he hadn't seen before. He agreed that Integra's small displays of affection towards the count, rewarding him with kind words or gentle strokes, were rather unfamiliar to anyone who had even a very basic knowledge of Hellsing behavior. This, of course, had confused not only his monster friend, but also everyone else who worked with the vampire hunters. Now, however, Alucard appeared to live for her appreciation, and nobody dared ask any questions.

When the Nosferatu was done with his grooming, the butler finally nodded. "Miss Integra wanted to know if you were ready. It seems like everything is in order, so, if you'll excuse me, I will be on my way."

He turned around but was quickly interrupted by a smooth baritone. "One moment, Walter."

The butler merely looked over his shoulder. "Yes?"

A dry sound of leather against metal echoed through the chamber as Alucard raised his foot and propped it unceremoniously on the edge of the seat of his throne, giving the butler a better view of his footwear. That caught Walter's attention, making him turn around to face the imposing figure.

"I value your opinion, old friend, and this is a very important occasion." Alucard rested an elbow on his raised knee and gestured at his dress boot. The butler blinked, acknowledging the situation.

"Which is more appropriate?" With a swift movement of his hand, the boot was enveloped by a small mass of shadows and transformed into a black, sleek Oxford. It dimly reflected the light inside the room, but appeared to be of great quality and kept in excellent condition.

Walter almost felt envious of that small demonstration of power. He couldn't deny he found that particular skill quite useful and charming. He smiled and answered almost immediately. "The Oxford is more elegant and formal, certainly the better suited for our lady's birthday party."

Alucard straightened himself up, twisting his body to seat on the adorned armchair. "Thank you, Angel; I knew I could count on you."

"I do try my best," he replied with a grin, resting a hand on his chest.

The vampire turned his gaze from the older man to his shoes and, after a short-lived analysis, rested his eyes on his sleeves. He scrunched his face and began re-adjusting them, a habit Walter had noticed he would occasionally engage in. Realizing the monster would be busy with a frivolous activity for a few minutes, he cleared his throat before he got too immersed.

"Anything else I can do for-"

"This will be the last time my master turns eighteen years old, Walter." The count stated. His eyes were still fixed on his clothes, his task uninterrupted.

The room stayed silent for a few seconds, as the butler thought of a proper response. He couldn't decide if there was a code to decipher or if his friend was simply brooding. This was a rather rare display, as Alucard kept his more humane emotions to himself. Time, however, was still ticking, and he had none to waste: the longer they talked, the sooner the guests would arrive.

He shrugged, still uncertain. "Well, every birthday will be her last for that age."

Alucard stopped and slowly rose from his seat. He began a silent walk to the back end of his quarters. Walter followed him with tired eyes, and a spark in his brain made him realize how depressing that sentence sounded, especially to the vampire's ears. This was, however, natural to all human beings who were lucky enough to grow old, and the monster would have to realize that no amount of serving and adoring and flirting would make his master freeze in time for him.

The vampire gently stroke a pile of books resting on a nearby cabinet, a collection Integra had given him a few years ago to ease him off his boredom. "A bored Alucard can be a destructive one," she had said. His face contorted into a small smile, causing Walter to sigh. Contrary to the butler's expectations, however, no depressive thoughts came out of the former warlord.

"She's growing into a fine woman, isn't she?"

Walter chuckled. It was to no one's surprise that Alucard had developed a deep affection for Integra, something bordering an obsession. Although he had no issues with showing it, it wasn't very common for him to actually talk about it. Details on his more luxurious thoughts would also pop up on their occasional conversations; Alucard might be a monster, but he had been a man before, and some things didn't really change.

"She is certainly proving herself to be a leader worthy of the organization's name," the Angel of Death agreed playfully, giving the original question a more innocent flavor.

Alucard blinked, turning his gaze to face him. "Oh. Oh, yes," he smiled at his old friend's joke, and ran his fingers through the polished wood. The furniture itself had been another gift from her, and he treasured it to the point he would occasionally clean it himself.

The room fell silent one more time and the butler wondered if he should attempt another exit. It would be rather impolite to leave without excusing himself, but he was running out of options, and also out of time. He shifted slightly in place, readying a move.

"Can you imagine it?" The vampire started again, sabotaging the butler's escape strategy, his red eyes sparkling with excitement. He nonchalantly caressed the object, drawing imaginary round shapes on it. "Can you imagine what she will accomplish? Adulthood will grant her even more power, Walter."

The butler couldn't think of anyone on this planet that could go from a depressed mood to pure enthusiasm in such a short interval. He simply nodded in response, waiting for the monster to carry on with his lustful thoughts. He had realized, many years ago, that remaining silent often revealed more about those surrounding him than asking questions. There was a reason he had frequently worked as a spy.

The vampire barely noticed his reaction, though. He raised his eyes from the cabinet and focused them on an opposite wall, at no specific point. Walter's own eyes shifted to see what the warlord was staring at, but there was nothing there, besides the dull, ancient concrete itself.

"Power to crush her enemies," he added with glee, concentrating on nothing but images in his mind, psychic constructs of wrath and destruction. "And I will give it to her, Walter. I will be the tool at her disposal; I will serve their heads to her on a silver platter if she so desires."

Walter surveyed the room, feeling an oppressive force manifesting. He stood his ground, unbothered by the phenomenon, knowing it was no threatening act, but simply the vampire manifesting his deepest feelings and them overflowing without any restraints. He was a slave, but his aura could be all over the place, whether he instigated it on purpose or not.

Alucard's smile stretched into a maniacal grin. He gripped the edge of the cabinet with moderate strength, unaware of what he was doing. "That will certainly please her, don't you think?" He wondered, more so to himself than the other occupant in the room, then added in a softer tone. "And I will get to see her smile at me."

As the vampire's mind drifted more deeply into his fantasies, the chamber began turning progressively darker. The door leading outside was now barely visible, as the light disappeared in unequal degrees at different spots. The butler could still clearly see Alucard, though. The warlord raised his hands and began making wavy movements in the air, creating an hourglass shape. Walter groaned, unwilling to entertain the vampire's erotic messages.

"Alucard?" He tried, now growing annoyed. His small interruption was almost immediately drowned by the enveloping shadows and went unnoticed.

The vampire's essence kept pouring out. Alucard's hair wriggled about like tiny rebellious tendrils. Many of these shadowy tentacles also appeared from the darkness in the walls or the floor, and advanced towards the nearest living thing. Walter shook a few barely material black limbs off his leg and then slapped a curl of dark mass that had enveloped his wrist.

The count moved his hands up and down, tracing the frame at a leisurely pace and humming to himself. He would stop for a brief second at random intervals, squint his eyes or cock his head to the side, then continue his journey of air caresses. The darkness around him almost completely hid the small trail of drool oozing out of his needy grin. His moans, however, were still rather audible.

"Aah," the vampire closed his shiny red eyes and contracted his fingers, as if he were grabbing the silhouette by its lower parts. "She is a grown woman, now." His mouth opened, allowing his tongue to lick the air between his hands, tasting the imaginary voluptuous figure he had drawn. He began feeling his clothes uncomfortable and confining, and portions of fabric began to evaporate and expose his skin.

He moved a hand down, directing it to the buckle of his belt. "Maybe, if I behave, she'll let me share her bed toni-"

A loud shriek pierced through the cold chambers, causing Alucard to break from his daydreaming and his shadows to recede. In a second, the room was lit again, as if nothing had transpired. The vampire blinked, the fabric of his garments resettling on his frame, and fixed his red orbs on the butler; the old man was strangling a floppy tentacle that then quickly melted away through his fingers.

"My apologies," he dusted his hands off the remaining mass, a small smile plastered on his face. "It kept trying to get in my ears. You were saying?"

Alucard's arms slowly fell to his sides and he stared at his friend, noticing the inconspicuous strands of silver hair, the wrinkles of his skin and the droopiness of his eyelids. The joyous images of a while ago were now gone, and a strange feeling welled up inside him. Wasn't it just yesterday that they had first met, when Walter was just an arrogant brat? Surely it couldn't have been that long ago.

His memory of the young hunter made him think of someone else. His expression softened, and he gave the butler a small, sad smile.

"Nothing," he ran his fingers on the surface of the cabinet again. "I was just thinking this will be the last time my master turns eighteen years old."

Walter sighed, silently cursing at the vampire's return to sulking. He didn't want to have Alucard contemplating on the passage of time, lamenting over how cruel it would be to him when Integra's life flame eventually burned out; he just wanted to make him stop being weird. The butler himself didn't want to think about any of that; they had more than enough frustration and depressive thoughts in their line of work.

"It is useless to worry about that," he removed his monocle and used his coat to rub the lens, cleaning it off a speckle of black dust. He repositioned the item on his frame without much enthusiasm, then shrugged at his colleague. The proper words to soothe his friend's poorly-contained anxiety eluded him.

"That is just… the way things are," he eventually said, and as lame as it sounded, he hoped it would suffice. He had no willpower to discuss such a heavy and philosophical subject with Alucard, knowing it might further upset him. It was an unspoken knowledge that the count was well aware of these matters, but avoided thinking about them for reasons only the people close to him knew.

The vampire nodded halfheartedly. They dealt with death and suffering on a near daily basis, but thinking about the progression of life felt different to him, almost alien. It wasn't so easy to conjure; decades flew by him as fast as the blink of an eye, and, suddenly, his virile, hot-headed young partner had turned into a calm and collected gentleman. How had that happened, exactly?

He turned his head to the side, to partially cover his gloomy expression. "I know."

"It is the journey that matters, not the destination." Walter made an effort to smile again. "You should consider yourself blessed to have met her."

Alucard looked up at the butler again. He had to agree with that statement. God had forsaken him centuries ago for the atrocious crimes he had committed against Him and His creation, and it looked like he would spend his remaining days as an abused slave to pay for all he had done. One day, however, Integra came along, and he wondered if this was God coming to terms with forgiving him, or if He wanted to punish him further by making the cruel joke of giving her mortality.

A muffled, although obviously irate "Walter, they are here, where ARE YOU?!" was heard from somewhere nearby, causing the vampire to smirk and the butler to freeze on his spot. The hunter's extended interaction with the former warlord had made him forget something rather important.

"Perhaps you were blessed as well, Angel?" Alucard laughed as Walter spun on his heels and disappeared through the stony staircase, faster than a lightning bolt.

A/N: I removed the whole conversation Walter has with Alucard in the previous version because it felt really out of character and not something they would do when Integra is already 18 years old (or ever, and definitely not to the extent it did). Maybe I can use it in a different scenario, but I don't know, it just doesn't feel quite right anymore; it felt more like brainstorming than actual narrative and it didn't translate very well into story format, so it needed to go.

Anyway, that's about it. Hope you've enjoyed, and I'll see you all on the flipside!