Seras Victoria squinted her eyes open as she woke up before dusk again. She had not been able to sleep through the daylight hours since…since…since that night. Was it because of everything that happened or was Pip the reason? Seras had grown so used to sleeping in his arms and wondered why she made him leave. Alucard had suggested it and she hadn't the nerve to argue. Besides, he was right. If Pip slept in her room, even in his own coffin, she would be watching his every move and she didn't want to be like that. She had known girls like that in high school, girls that were so possessive of their boyfriends that they didn't trust them to go to the bathroom by themselves. Seras swore that she would never be like that, so it was better if they had a little space between them. Maybe in time she would forgive his indiscretion. Right now though, she couldn't, no matter what Alucard said. Seras may have accepted what she was but it didn't mean she could forget her human values.

She knew it was wrong but the curiosity was killing her. The draculina had to know – was Pip still "seeing" Walter? Seras tried to establish the mind link that existed from the moment that she had drank Pip's blood. "Damn," she said aloud. It was the second time in the last week that Seras felt her attempt being blocked. The strangest thing was that it didn't feel like Pip was the one blocking her. What in the bloody hell? She wondered if it could be Walter. The old butler did seem powerful but he had been created by Millenium. She was a true vampire, Alucard's child. Walter should not be able to stop her and he couldn't even be in Pip's mind anyway. I bet Master would know. Maybe he can even help me.

Seras looked in Alucard's room but he wasn't there. Of course, he is with Sir Integral. I should've known. Seras knew that Integral would still be in her office at this hour. She had always been a workaholic but kept even later hours since the war ended. Millenium members still remained alive and she would not be happy until every last one of them was dead. She knocked on Integral's door.

"Come in." Integral said, preoccupied with something on the computer screen.

"Sir, I was looking for---Master." Seras said and smiled when she saw him sitting on the sofa, his eyes glued on Integral.

"Yes, Seras Victoria?" He asked, not moving his eyes from his Master.

"I was hoping you could help me with something, Master. If you're busy I can come back." Seras still was afraid that Alucard would yell at her for interrupting his time with Integral.

Integral chuckled. "Does he look busy, Seras?"

"Well, not exactly but---" Seras started.

"It's okay, Seras Victoria. Is this about the Captain?" Alucard asked.

"Yes, in a way it is but that's not the reason I'm asking for your help. I'm having problems using one of my—umm--- powers." Seras explained.

"Ahh, why didn't you say so, Seras?" Alucard questioned her.

"Sorry, Master." Seras answered quietly.

"Sir Integral will be retiring to bed soon, Seras Victoria. Why don't you wait for me in my room? And get us some refreshments; I'm getting thirsty." Alucard said.

"Yes Master," Seras replied, beaming. Sometimes Alucard really surprised her.

The draculina sipped on her blood waiting for Alucard. She picked up a book that was sitting on Alucard's table. So this is the kind of thing Master likes to read, Seras pondered as she read the title. "The History of Torture and Execution," Seras read the title aloud. Master reads for pleasure this for pleasure? Even after all this time, Alucard's darkness never failed to surprise her. Small pieces of paper bookmarked certain pages and all of them described the most gruesome deaths. The chapter on impalement had several sections highlighted. I hope I don't read books like this when I'm as old as Master. Seras almost dropped the book when she heard the door open.

"Seras Victoria, I see you found the present Walter gave me for my last birthday." Alucard grinned.

"Oh Master, yes I have. You have rather interesting reading material." Seras offered Alucard a blood packet.

He grabbed it from her and ripped it open with his mouth. He gestured for her to sit down. "So tell me, what kind of problem you are having?"

"Problem, yes. It does concern Pip but that's not why I-I-I wanted your help. It is our mind connection. Since I drank his blood, I've been able to know where he is, see what he was doing. That's how I know about him and Walter. Well, I tried to see where he was this morning, not to spy or anything. I just wanted to make sure he was in the mansion. But I couldn't see anything. I barely could sense his presence." Seras watched Alucard for his reaction. She was afraid that he would blame her.

"That is a most unusual development but obviously he has learned to block you, Seras Victoria. It is interesting because your powers are greater than his. You should be able to overcome his block." Alucard told her.

"Yes, Master, that's what I thought. There is something else - I don't think it Pip is the one that's blocking me. Today, I felt another presence. I didn't sense Walter but I don't know who else it could be." Seras said.

Alucard shook his head. "No, it couldn't be Walter. Only a true Nosferatu can block another vampire's communication from outside the body. That is difficult even for me to do. Whoever or whatever is blocking you is coming from inside your Captain."

"Inside? But how could Pip have another soul inside of…" Even though Seras was not the brightest girl in the world, she knew. Seras remembered that Pip became a vampire from the souls of Alucard's undead army. The realization that he shared his soul with someone else hit her like boulder. Then Seras remembered something - the presence she felt had seemed feminine. Now the affair with Walter made sense.

"You know don't you. Your Captain drank the blood of some of my souls. He is no longer just Pip Bernadotte. Who he is now depends on whose blood he drunk." Alucard grinned in admiration. The Captain must have chosen wisely to escape.

A feeling of jealousy rose in Seras. It was worst than him shagging Walter. Sharing a soul with someone was far more intimate than sex. She had to be able to penetrate the block. "Master, is there a way for me to get past the block?" Seras asked.

Alucard considered his fledgling's question for a few minutes. "Of course there is, Seras Victoria. Not only do you have my blood in you but you drank her blood. At the very least you should be able to read his mind."

"Her blood?" Seras asked before remembering. The bitch who had killed Pip. She had forgotten about her, about Zorin.

"You do remember the Millenium monster you destroyed. She had special powers."

"I have never felt them, Master." Seras said as she looked down. The situation seemed hopeless to her.

Alucard could feel his "child's" pain. It reminded him of how he felt so many years ago. He refused to even think about the name that was in his mind. Mina. Losing her had been painful. If Alucard had been as powerful then as he was now, Mina would be his. But then, I wouldn't have Integral, or Seras. He pushed the image of Mina from his mind. That was then, this is now, he told himself. "I suppose I could help you access those powers, Seras."

Seras smiled at him. "Really, you could?"

Alucard nodded, "Yes, come here tomorrow around 2:00 AM." He glanced at his book that she was still holding. "Do you want to borrow that? It is fascinating reading."

"Oh?" Seras asked as her eyes fell on a picture of her master when he was human. He was scarier looking as a human than he was now. "No, that's okay. I'm going to see if I can find Pip. I wanted to talk to him before we go on the mission tonight. I need to make sure things are okay for tonight." Seras started to leave but felt Alucard's eyes on her. She glanced up at him and met his eyes. "Thank you, Master." She smiled at him, enjoying his attention. Seras blinked when she saw the tenderness in her Master's eyes. The vampire had never seen Alucard look so incredibly human. But when she opened her eyes, the tenderness she had seen a few seconds ago was gone and he was looking at pictures of torture victims and grinning. Seras Victoria thought that she must have imagined it.

---

Seras knocked on Pip's door. She sensed he was in there but didn't want to risk walking in on anything. She had seen more than enough of Walter and Pip's extracurricular activities. "Hello?"

Pip opened the door with a smile. He looked normal enough. "Seras. I wasn't expecting you. Come in."

Seras walked in and saw Walter sitting at the table. He was sipping a bag of blood. "I can come back later, Pip. I just thought that maybe---"

"Don't leave on my account, Miss Victoria. You're not interrupting a thing - unfortunately." Walter looked at Pip hungrily. "I stopped by to make a delivery. I understand, Sir Integral is sending you and the Captain on a mission tonight."

Seras smiled at him and sat down. He seemed normal enough. "Yes, she has. Sir Integral told me that you and my master are going on a mission too. Didn't you and he work together in World War II?"

Walter grew aroused just thinking about his first time with Alucard. "Yes, if we're lucky it will be like old times." Walter lit a cigarette and sat down across from Seras. "Miss Victoria, I hope you can accept my apologies for what you saw the other evening. I blame myself."

Seras blushed at Walter's words. "It-it-it's okay. I mean not okay but I'd rather we just forget about it."

Walter nodded, "I understand." He looked at her and grinned. Making Seras squirm was just too much fun. "Don't blame him. One of the things you will find, Miss Victoria, is that sexuality is not nearly as important for us as it is for humans. Don't worry, Pip still prefers ladies." Walter dropped his eyes to Seras' ample chest. Not that I can blame him when he has you to play with.

Pip sat down next to Seras. "Walter, I told you, I'll talk to her about all of that. You're making her nervous."

Seras moved closer to Pip. The way that Walter was staring at her was making her anxious. "It's okay, Pip."

Walter put on his most innocent smile for the couple. "I have to prepare for my mission. Good luck – Pip, Miss Victoria. Perhaps we can finish this conversation later, Miss Victoria? There really is so much about your condition that you don't know."

"I-I-I don't know." Seras replied and looked down.

Pip smiled at her and shot a look at Walter that told him to leave. "It's okay, Seras. Walter won't talk to you without me there, right?"

Walter glared at Pip. "As the lady wishes." He said no more as he walked out the door.

Seras felt relieved when he was gone. She didn't know why but he made her nervous. Something told her not to trust him.

She looked up at the man she loved. "I miss you, Pip."

"I miss you too, Seras. I can always…" He pulled her onto his lap and ran his hands up her leg, stopping just at the edge of her skirt. He had to fight his primal urges to go further. It was too early - even he knew that.

Seras didn't stop him from touching her. She wanted to know how far Pip would go if no limits were set and his hands felt wonderful on her body. "No, not yet," she protested weakly.

Pip kissed her softly on the neck, licking the scars from Alucard's bite. He cupped her breast with his hand. It had been too long since he touched her. His fun with Walter was all right but it didn't compare to being with Seras. He would always prefer ladies to men but if things went as Walter said they could, it wouldn't be long before the three of them shared a bed. He had to force the image of that fantasy from his mind before he did something he regretted. "Seras, you better get up or we'll never leave my room tonight." He whispered into her ear. Damn, he thought, I want her so much that it hurts.

Seras got up and looked at Pip. He seemed so normal now; he had not even tried to seduce her. His behavior made her doubt the reservations she had about him. Did she really need to probe his mind? Maybe it had been her fault she couldn't find him. Seras followed him out the door to the mission feeling once again she could trust the man she loved. She just hoped her Master wouldn't insist on training her on using Zorin's mind control powers. Tomorrow evening, she intended spending alone with Pip.