Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Tepes."

The young woman snuggled further into her pillow, ignoring the childish voice yelling at her. She wanted to return to the simplicity of dreams, of a place where she could eat and relax as much as she pleased.

"Tepes!"

Wilhelmina continued disregarding the little boy and turned in the opposite direction, presenting her back to him and lodging herself into the confines of the couch cushions.

The little monster could eat a frog for how much trouble he put her through. She deserved the respite brought on by sleeping.

"Tepes, you will rise this instance or so help me!"

The lack of obedience pushed the boy over the edge and his foot flew out, sending the couch into the air and tipping it over.

The woman laid trap beneath.

"Master Dracula!" She groaned pathetically, wine-colored eyes at last opening and gazing upon the blond adolescent glaring daggers at her. "You didn't have to give me such a brutal wake-up."

Between the sharp armrests and the general weight of the couch, Wilhelmina was in pain.

"Clearly, I did! I have been trying to wake you for thirty minutes. How dare you cause me such trouble!"

The young vampire king was in an absolute huff. His hair stuck up wildly, his cheeks were flaming red, and his night clothes were ruffled beyond measure.

Were Wilhelmina some other vampire she might've found the sight cute.

"My deepest apologies for the trouble, Young Master."

She was not the typical vampire and so she found the reigning king to be an utter nuisance since the day he proclaimed her as his servant. Over the years the woman learned to smother her dislike, bending to every whim and demand of Dracula, or Delacroix the Second as he liked to address himself now.

To serve was the purpose given to her.

"Tch! I would believe that if your face wasn't locked in disinterest." Delacroix calmed down and took a seat on the other couch. "Prepare my breakfast, Tepes."

"Yes, Master Dracula." Wilhelmina tossed the couch off and re-situated it as it had been.

Their feats of strength would disturb a human, but their kind were commonly known for having an abundance of strength, among other things.

"And it is Delacroix now, Tepes. Do not refer to me as 'Dracula'." A measure of sadness overtook the young king. He covered it up quickly after catching her staring at him. "How many times must I repeat myself to you? Why was I left with a useless servant?"

She gave a low curtsy, letting her bed-tangled hair hide the irritated spark in her eyes. "I will take my leave now to prepare breakfast, 'Master Delacroix'."

"Yes, yes, hurry up. Your laziness has put me behind schedule." He waved her off impatiently to study the various news articles on the table.

Wilhelmina exited the king's room.

Normally, her sleeping in the royal bedchamber with its occupant present would have been unheard of and quite scandalous in their society, but she and the young vampire were the only residents of the decrepit castle. There was no one to cast judgement on them.

The emptiness and silence of the once luxurious fortress unnerved Delacroix, making it impossible for him to sleep the first few days they moved back in. He often woke in a terror and fled to his servant's room, dragging her back to his room and forcing her to play "mother" by rubbing his head and whispering assurances till he fell asleep.

The pattern persisted for a week straight before the king finally gave in and ordered Wilhelmina to sleep nearby on the couch. Her presence at bedtime did decrease the frequency of nightmares for Delacroix.

How pitiful their once great coven had become, reduced to a boy king and a lowly servant. The Vampire War left its mark on their species.

It was only natural for the child to latch onto her. If only the boy wouldn't be so obnoxious.

"Why me?" Wilhelmina questioned her reflection.

She brushed her midnight hair that appeared blue in certain lights, into an intricate bun that was fashionable among the noble woman. Jewelry and matching accessories that went well with the dress adorned her ears and hair.

A servant of her standing could only dream of wearing finery, but since the owners were dead and her master made no complaint, the vampire made it her mission to wear all the unused clothing and jewelry that weren't stolen.

The exceptions to that were the late queen's items that were stashed in a secret compartment in the royal rooms. Wilhelmina wouldn't dare touch those even though Delacroix showed her where they were.

"I want to sleep all day long. Sleep like a baby, that's all I want." She said in a sing-song voice, preparing an elaborate selection for breakfast.

Once done, the vampire carried the tray to her master's room and set it on an open space on the table.

Delacroix looked up from his notes and blushed lightly upon seeing Wilhelmina. "T-That is what you've c-chosen to wear for today?"

"Yes, is it to the Young Masters liking?"

"I-It is a p-pleasant ensemble."

"Thank you for allowing a 'lowly' servant as me to dress as finely as a lady." She gave him one of her practiced smiles that secretly hid vexation at her situation.

The blush deepened.

To hide his bashfulness, Delacroix gathered his research off the table and imperiously motioned for Wilhelmina to serve him. "As king I cannot have my subjects looking anything less than immaculate. Your maid outfit of old became atrocious to look at."

Her smile lost none of its faux pleasantness, widening instead at the insult.

The uniform ended up so atrocious due to the fights she got into on behalf of Delacroix's endeavors to retrieve lost heirlooms of the vampire aristocracy. With no one to patch up her clothes, the few uniforms the vampire owned were rapidly rendered unwearable.

"I shall aspire to uphold your noble image, Master Dracula."

A fleeting glare was her reward for addressing him incorrectly, but he didn't correct her again. He tucked into his meal while Wilhelmina busied herself with setting out his clothes for their nightly mission.

They were to travel to London and reclaim a pendant.

These seek-and-recover missions kept Delacroix and Wilhelmina busy. The two saw more of the world in the last two years than they had their entire lives.

Hunting down stolen vampire artifacts, finding survivors, and planning the downfall of humanity truly was time consuming work.

Wilhelmina wished she could have a simple life.

"Tepes."

A life where she could eat, sleep, and dilly-dally on her own time, beholden to no one.

"Tepes."

No spoiled child demanding she wait on him hand and foot, or sending her to foreign places, or using her as punching bag.

At times Wilhelmina had trouble deciding who was more of an inconvenience to her, master or father…

Since the man who sired her vanished, he felt like the lesser evil now. Often though she found herself cursing the lineage she bore.

Why had she survived?

"Tepes!"

The vampire tilted her head backwards. "Yes, Young Master?"

"Stop balling up my vest!"

Her hands let go of the item she'd been clenching.

"Your scatterbrainess better not have me looking foolish. When I claim Nosferatu's Saber I want to look regal… There you go again!"

Wilhelmina deflected suspicion from herself by pestering Delacroix with a series of questions.

"Are you finished eating? Shall I clean it up?" He blustered incoherently at the rapidness of her talk. "Help you dress? Your wish is my command."

She decided for him by gathering up the tray and departing in the blink of an eye. Delacroix stared, dumbfounded at the crinkled clothing laying out on his bed.

"Useless, empty-headed girl." He griped to no one.

Wilhelmina set the tray down with forced calm that amounted to a slight rattling of the silverware. Her hands began the unconscious motion of cleaning with meticulous care.

Breaking the expensive tea set was sure to draw her master's ire.

Nosferatu's Saber.

She especially did not wish to retrieve that heirloom. The very thing's name set her blood on fire.

The fangs inside her mouth ached with the need to sink into something.

"Ah… I need…to eat…"

Food would at least quench the thirst. Just as she was about to eat the portion set aside, a call of her name came before the door to the kitchens flew open.

"We're leaving." Delacroix announced, all dressed in his suit, cape, and top hat.

"But…" Wilhelmina helplessly stared at the fork hovering inches before her mouth.

The food was right there!

"Now." He deadpanned.

She began to whine. "Master Dracula…"

"Consider this punishment for rising later than me. A servant should be up well before their master."

Her low whining continued. The terrible little terror!

"Come, Tepes." The young king left in a flourish and Wilhelmina with great sadness, left her meal to obediently follow.

Cruel, minuscule brat! As if being crushed under a couch wasn't punishment enough.

"Maybe, if you do a good job and not fall asleep at any point, I'll allow you to drain the pesky humans that get in our way."

Wilhelmina perked up. "Is that a promise?"

"Indeed. Do I have your cooperation?"

"Yes, Master Dracula." She donned her coat and parasol with renewed vigor.

It had been a week since blood had graced her lips. The very thought of the red substance made Wilhelmina chew her lip in anticipation.

Delacroix smiled. If nothing else, he could appreciate his useless servant's savagery on the battlefield.

Humans begged and screamed like the worms they were when faced with the end of her blade. His burgeoning brutality was nothing compared to hers.

"We'll make them pay, every last human."

The woman hummed in mock agreement. She could care less about the killing sprees the boy promised he would unleash on the humans.

All Wilhelmina wanted was to feed herself before the night ended and the sun rose.

Realize

"Whoopsie, you missed." Wilhelmina taunted the disgruntled man kissing the pavement. She twirled away from another man trying to kill her. "You're all so slow."

"What's wrong with you idiots?! She's just a woman, catch her already!"

"We're trying to, but she's slipper!"

The vampire proceeded to dance out of the human's range when they attacked, having an internal debate over which one she wanted to make a meal out of.

They were all so meaty and gruff looking that Wilhelmina wasn't finding them appetizing. Any one of them would probably make her stomach twist.

Still…beggars couldn't be choosers.

It was either drain one of them or starve until they made it back to the castle. She refused to prolong her hunger for that long.

Vampires could cover the distance much faster than humans and her uneaten breakfast would be preferable to the blood of these degenerates...but that would take hours.

Quality or convenience?

"W-What's going on with her e-eyes?!"

"Are they red? It's because I'm hungry…so very hungry." Wilhelmina answered the frightened man.

Her decision was made on account of the hunger gnawing at her. One of them would have to suffice.

"Hungry?" No more of his question could be asked, as a sword impaled his neck.

"I can only stomach one of you. Who will it be, I wonder?" She withdrew the blade and took a hesitant lick at the blood on it, immediately spitting it out as the dead body hit the ground. "Just as I thought, disgusting! There's too much impurity in him."

Screams erupted from everywhere.

The humans that were watching the fight fled and the men guarding the auction doubled their efforts in attacking her. Instead of avoidance, Wilhelmina countered the deadly blows, taking samples of blood when she could.

The vampire's thought turned to her master inside the tent. Had he acquired the item, or would he need her to take over?

The young king's fighting was still at a basic level for vampires, but for humans he was deadly.

"Not one of you tasted good. Maybe the others had it right and maidens taste best. They all fled though…" The woman groaned as she licked her blade clean and returned it to the slot in the parasol's handle. "I'm sooooo hungry…but you all taste atrocious. It's not fair…"

She received no response as all the guards were dead and the area empty.

"Tepes, The Impaler strikes again." Wilhelmina muttered dispassionately.

Dead bodies surrounding her in an empty area had become such a consistent occurrence that she didn't recoil in dread in anymore.

"Tepes…what a stupid name."

Delacroix bounded out the building, cape flittering behind him and making him appear as a bat in flight.

"Master?"

"Let's go!" He growled and took off without a backwards glance.

She sighed. Something had upset him.

Usually he laughed and heaped praise upon her for killing their race's destroyers. Delacroix barely looked at the corpses, or her, before taking off.

They came to a stop in a forest.

How there was a forest in a city of steel eluded Wilhelmina.

"Master Dra-"

"Didn't I tell you not to call me that anymore?!" Delacroix whirled on her, fully bearing his fangs and eyes shifting to a bright crimson.

Wilhelmina stared unflinchingly, letting him calm his frantic breathing before trying again.

"Did something happen, Master Dr…Master Delacroix?" She tacked on the last part when another outburst built in the boy's eyes.

"That man!" Unfortunately, the anger returned anyway.

"A man?" The servant dared to step closer and sniff at her master's scent.

Only one human could infuriate him so. The smell of gunpowder and lemons hit her.

"Van Helsing, I'll kill him!"

The shock of the man's presence in London would have to wait. Wilhelmina held out her hand to halt the boy.

"What?!"

"Humans approach." She replied.

A group of men and a woman approached the two vampires. Delacroix gaped at the sight of them while Wilhelmina's brows rose curiously.

The men were all appealing to look at, even the blank-eyed girl with them was in a class of beauty that was unnatural. Their blood was sure to be vastly more appetizing than those brutes the vampire disposed of.

Which one was Wilhelmina to bite first?

The gentleman in red? The doctor? The red-head? Those three looked the best.

Maybe she could even be greedy and drain two of them. The woman chewed her lip and tried not to drool at the imminent fullness she would experience.

"Tepes, did you see that as well?"

"Hmm?"

"How can you not be paying attention?!" Delacroix whacked her on the arm.

"What did I miss?" The vampire paid no heed to sting of pain.

"Hey, hey, little boys shouldn't hit ladies. That's not how things work." The red-head cried out from his place on the ground.

He winced, attempting to move his arm.

"Did you kick him?" She could see the pale area of the man's arm beginning to swell red.

There would be a nasty bruise there.

"Totally brushed off?!" The man choked, face expressing his dismay.

His companions rolled their eyes.

"I did." Delacroix crossed his arm.

"He's still alive? Are you softening?" A part of Wilhelmina wished the boy would go soft on her occasionally.

"I am not! Don't get smart with me!" His hand lifted to deliver more punishment.

The servant didn't bother dodging or pleading her case. She took the beating like she did every other, with resigned annoyance.

"My, oh my. They're off in their own world, aren't they?" The eccentric-looking noble chuckled.

"Like we're not even here." The gentleman in red agreed.

"At least we aren't being attacked anymore…but someone else is suffering for it." The doctor alternated between checking on the red-head's arm and the woman being assaulted by a temperamental child.

Wilhelmina zoned out as more words were exchanged between Delacroix and the strangers. It was the scent of gunpowder and lemons that drew her attention back from the mini nap she descended into.

"Van Helsing!" Both master and servant said at the same time.

The vampire killer's glare faltered for a fraction of a second at the sight of Wilhelmina.

"Decided to fight me?" Delacroix took an offensive stance. "Or run away again?"

"I lured you away, recognize the difference, 'son of the dragon'." He fired back coldly.

"I left that name behind! I've taken on the name of my father." The young vampire snarled the next bit under his breath. "Why does no one understand that?!"

Van Helsing's penetrating glare lifted to something morose. "I see. So, do you want me to call you 'Delacroix the Second' instead, Dracula?"

"If I hear that name one more time, I'm going to lose it!" Delacroix lunged for the man responsible for the deaths of many vampires.

"Hmm, should I help him?" Wilhelmina twirled her parasol, impassive to the intense psychological and physical battle happening before her. "Maybe not…he's so riled up he might hit me in the confusion…"

Why was Van Helsing even here?

She hadn't seen the man since the stronghold fell to the humans two years ago. That day was so bloody.

Why did she survive when so many else hadn't?

"Tepes!"

A sharp pain erupted in her arm. "Owww…are you done fighting already? He's not even dead."

"I swear you try my patience! We are leaving since I don't want to bother with the weaklings coming."

A large group of humans were rushing towards the vampires.

"I understand. Those men are weak and tasteless. Not worth your time at all, Master Delacroix." Wilhelmina flattered the boy.

"Yes, yes." He blinked, surprised, but pleased.

"Might I suggest we take the train home? We could celebrate your great accomplishment in one of the dining cars." She added a dazzling smile as a final touch of persuasion.

"No, you deceitful woman." Delacroix flatly retorted.

He ran directly at the incoming mob and jumped over the gobsmacked humans.

"Running again? Why is he such a nuisance?" The vampire sighed for the umpteenth time.

Her luck was positively rotten.

"Wilhelmina."

She stopped mid-step at the call of her true name, turning to face Van Helsing after a beat.

"You're the closest thing to a guardian he has. Why are you letting him run wild?" The accusation and dripping disappointment brought out an ugly sneer from her.

"Like I've ever had any control over that kid's actions. He will do as he pleases." The vampire turned her back to the fabled Human Weapon.

Two years of absence with a betrayal hanging between them and the first thing muttered to her was a reprimand? Her heart twisted with vehement fury.

"I, the lowly servant can only follow his lead. I don't instruct his path."

Wilhelmina disappeared into the night.

Chapter Text

"Why must I be present, Master Dracula? Can I not return to the couch?" Wilhelmina swayed sleepily in place.

It was a struggle for her to keep her eyes open and focused on the young king flying through fighting stances she'd shown him from what she remembered of her father's lessons.

"No and wake up!"

A training bag hit her in the face, knocking the servant to the ground. She laid there motionless.

"This is exactly why you need to be present. It should've been child's play for you to dodge that." Delacroix huffed.

Wilhelmina didn't refute that reasoning. She could've dodged, but that required too much energy.

It was still daylight hours, she was supposed to be asleep, not wasting away in the castle training rooms.

"Get up. No sleeping during training."

"…"

"Tepes."

"…"

"I will count to three. If you are not on your feet by then, I will use you as today's practice dummy."

Wilhelmina mumbled a response. The bag still lodged in her face made her impossible to understand.

Delacroix kicked the object off. "Repeat that, Tepes."

"You were already going to use me as a punching bag." She cracked her nose back into place, licking up the blood that escaped.

"I might not have if you showed an ounce of initiative."

"Initiative isn't a quality of mine."

"Mouthing off to your master appears to be one. Stop whining and train! We must be prepared to kill Van Helsing!"

The woman dragged herself to her feet before the boy's foot could connect to her ribs. "No amount of training would make me capable of killing him."

Even as she stood before him, boiling in anger at his gall, hate did not take her.

Van Helsing appeared just as he did two years ago, but his personality had switched to the other end of the spectrum. Wilhelmina couldn't remember those violet orbs ever looking at her with such coldness.

Seeing him again was…odd and confusing.

"Don't sound so pathetic. As he is the Human Weapon, you are The Impaler." Delacroix shoved the woman towards the square for sparring. "Killing that man is not impossible, it shall be done by my hand this very night."

"My master is confident despite never having faced an opponent as skilled as the Human Weapon." The vampire blinked away the fog of sleepiness and raised her fist, cautiously surveying the boy before her. "Overestimating your abilities is as deadly as underestimating your prey."

"Don't quote your father to me. I've defeated you dozens of times! I'm not inexperienced!" Delacroix became a blur of movement.

"Hand-to-hand combat isn't my talent, it's yours, especially as a pureblood." Wilhelmina kept up with her master's strikes but his ferocity left her at a disadvantage. "Your pride is based on beating a weakling."

"There you go again with that mouth. Respect your betters!"

A solid kick sent her flying into a wall and leaving a crater. She slid down to floor, dazed.

It amazed Wilhelmina how brutal a pint-sized twelve-year old could be.

The woman held back with her strikes, mortally wounding or even bruising a member of royalty held severe consequences and that was a mindset she couldn't quite break, causing their matches to usually end in Delacroix's favor.

Were the servant to truly fight uninhibited, the match would still end in the young king's favor, but she could break him as much as he broke her.

Lucky for the boy, Wilhelmina's conditioning wouldn't allow her to vent frustrations on him.

"Stop faking, Tepes. I know you aren't actually hurt." Delacroix kneeled in front of her, leaning in close. "You're not bleeding."

Wilhelmina felt like her skull was cracked and her bones ached. She was in fact hurt just doing a brilliant job of being nonchalant about it.

"I could have internal bleeding, Master."

"You don't. You're my servant, no flimsy attack would immobilize you."

"I'm more fragile than you think…" The vampire slid down further, intent on resting off her newest injuries.

"Fragile?" He laughed. "You almost sound like a little girl!"

"I am a girl." Her eyes slid closed.

"We are not finished. Open your eyes, Tepes!"

"Just five minutes…"

"No, you useless servant!"

Despite his ardent protests, Wilhelmina fell into a deep sleep.

The boy seethed, stomping his foot and causing a smaller crater. "Fine. I don't need you."

He left the vampire to her snores and returned to training.

Realize

"How much longer is he going to make me wait?" Delacroix paced impatiently at the top of the grand staircase.

The same place where his father stood and faced down the traitor.

"He's a human, he can't travel as fast as we can." Wilhelmina pointed out.

She remained steadfast in her apathy by leaning against the banister and playing with a ribbon her heeled shoes.

The injuries from their early morning training session healed during her nap. The vampire had been surprised to wake comfortably cocooned in Delacroix's expansive bed and not a crater.

Her master must've taken pity on Wilhelmina's sorry state. The boy's shifting moods were confounding.

"Would you like some tea, Master Dracula?"

Delacroix paused his pacing, mulling over the offer. "Yes, tea would be nice. No cake though, I will save that for after I kill Van Helsing."

"I'll get right to it." The vampire stood, getting straight to her orders.

She returned with the tea set.

The sweet aroma and taste soothed the young vampire's anxiety. He sat next to Wilhelmina, allowing her to refill his cup.

"You may pour yourself a cup if you'd like."

The woman wasted no time in doing so, accepting any chance she got at a sample of luxury. "Master…if I may…"

"Yes, Tepes?" He spared her an inquisitive glance.

It was not often that she brought up topics on her own.

Van Helsing's accusing eyes flashed in her mind. "You…do not have to do this…"

"What do you mean?" The fury was easing its way into the boy. "Do you think I can't kill Mother and Father's murderer? I have thought of nothing else since that fateful night!"

"I'm not saying you can't do it…merely that…" Wilhelmina thought of dead bodies surrounding her in a deserted field. "Maybe you shouldn't…"

A scene of death she was too familiar with from the war.

Delacroix wasn't desensitized as she was, but he would become that way sooner or later…

Should she do more to prolong that transition?

"What do you mean… What are you saying?!" The tea almost spilled out the cup with his frantic movements.

The sound of an explosion going off made the two vampires stare out the window.

"Tepes, you did disengage the traps, right?"

A look comprehension lit up her face. "That's what I'd forgotten!"

"You hopeless servant! How could you forget?! I reminded you five times to turn off the traps!" Each of Delacroix's screeches were accompanied by a slap to his servant's head.

He was utterly fed up with her incompetence.

"I humbly beg for your forgiveness, Master Dracula." Wilhelmina took the beating, knowing she'd earned it.

If their guest died before reaching the castle, then it would be her fault.

"Gah! Bring Van Helsing to me, at once!"

She bowed her head and was out the door in a flash.

Using her heightened speed, Wilhelmina landed on the stone ledge of the gate and found herself shocked out of her boredom.

"You made it passed my traps…" Burgundy eyes moved from Van Helsing to his other companions. "And brought more humans."

"Those traps were nothing for the great gentleman thief, Arsene Lupin!" The gentleman in red announced with a devious smirk.

"A thief in the company of Abraham? I thought you had higher standards." She giggled derisively and Lupin frowned at the attack on his character.

"Don't lump me with them like we're friends. They decided to along like leeches." The others looked affronted at the man's easy rejection.

"Hey, hey, I resent that! I'll forgive you if you introduce me to that goddess, Van Helsing." The exuberant red-head nudged the gunman.

"Impey, this is not playtime." Van Helsing shoved the childish man off.

"I do think introductions are in order. Won't you come down from there, Miss?" The white-haired man smiled politely at her but Wilhelmina felt put off for some reason.

"Yes, as beautiful as you look in the moonlight, proper conversation is held face-to-face." Lupin added at her hesitation.

"We're not going to harm you." Wilhelmina laughed at the doctor and appeared in front of him and the girl. "Woah!"

"Ah, Victor!" The girl pushed her gloved hands against the man's back to keep him from bumping into her.

"As if you could harm me." The vampire deadpanned. "Only one of you humans is a threat to me."

"Yesssss! She's even more stunning up close!" Impey defused the tension by rushing up to the woman. "Hello, Miss Goddess. I'm Impey Barbicane, the greatest-"

The vampire's disappearance caused the red-head to tumble to ground from not having a girl to wrap his arm around like he planned. He cried dramatically at the rejection.

Wilhelmina re-appeared at the gate.

"Good evening, guests of the Young Master. I am Wilhelmina, servant of the Vampire King." The young woman felt a thrill at being able to introduce herself with her true name and not the one foisted on her.

She curtsied before the group as was custom.

"Please allow me to escort you all inside."

At the change in conversation, the other males introduced themselves and the girl accompanying them.

Van Helsing needed no introduction, Wilhelmina remembered him as clearly as she did the first time she met the man.

Out of the group, Cardia intrigued her the most. What was a doll-like girl doing there? Surely she wasn't going to fight the king?

"The master awaits. This way, please." Wilhelmina stepped up to the closed gate.

"Wait a moment, that gate is far too heavy for a lady to open." Lupin protested, moving to take her place and gesturing for Impey to assist him.

"Whatever are you talking about?" She pushed the obstacle open.

"So strong." Cardia muttered, gaping as were Lupin, Impey, and Victor.

"I heard that vampires possessed incredible strength and Delacroix did almost break Impey's arm…but this is amazing!" The doctor scrutinized the vampire with the eyes of a scientist. "It would've taken at least four or five men to get that open."

"Can you now see why I found it funny that you believed you could harm me?"" Wilhelmina restrained her stride to a natural pace for the humans as she guided them in.

The brief levity turned to solemnity as the air grew oppressive.

Abraham Van Helsing.

Wilhelmina felt her heart clench every time she thought about him. The man who murdered an entire coven. The man, by all rights, she should hate.

She and Delacroix were considered an endangered species because of Van Helsing and the other vampire hunters.

Yet, the abundant hatred that consumed her master never took root in Wilhelmina. It would not grow even with the man returned to the place of his greatest crime.

Her lack of fury was replaced by indifference and that concerned the woman. Why couldn't she muster up anger for the deaths of her fellow vampires?

"Cardia!"

Wilhelmina craned her neck backwards to see what the problem was.

"T-These are…" The girl trembled from her place on the ground.

A decapitated head by her foot stared blankly past her. She scooted away from it.

"Don't look, Cardia." Lupin gently pulled the girl to her feet, pressing her shaking form to his chest.

"This is quite the macabre scene. Don't you find this disturbing, Miss Wilhelmina?" Saint Germain's words dripped of concern but his expression was deathly calm, as if the multitude of corpses and pikes with severed heads jutting out the ground didn't bother him.

"Not at all." She shrugged.

What did bother her was the nuisance of coming out here later to burn the decaying bodies.

"What is this?! Why would anyone do this?!" Victor paled, covering his mouth to fight back the panic attack he was in the midst of having.

"Master Dracula requires I do this to ward off looters and hunters." The vampire's tone softened in regard for the sick looking doctor and disturbed doll. "You need only avert your eyes a bit more, the castle is right ahead."

"What kind of master makes a delicate flower do things like this? If I were your master, you'd be sitting pretty all day, eating biscuits and sipping tea." Impey bounced next to Wilhelmina, weakly smiling and purposely keeping his on the woman instead of the pikes. "Whaddya say? Wanna come work for me? I'll make a great master."

Wilhelmina was prevented from answering by Van Helsing abruptly butting in between the two. "No woman in their right mind would want to serve you. Stop fooling around."

"Why so mean?" Impey backed up from the demonic glare.

The vampire sighed. "How can you stand such exhausting company?"

"I've been constantly asking myself that since joining them." The gunman grunted.

Chatter stopped until the pikes were out of sight and Impey started up a conversation with Lupin.

"That jerk, acting all chummy with Wilhelmina. Why can't she be like the kid and hate his guts?"

"Impey, that's exceedingly unkind." The thief scolded. He did appraise the unorthodox pair walking side by side. "They do seem comfortable, too comfortable considering the ills between vampires and Van Helsing."

"Perhaps they have a history? That would explain why he isn't as brusque with Miss Wilhelmina." Saint Germain provided his input.

"History? I read about something like this." Cardia spoke up since her fall. "Are they past lovers like the heroine and knight of the story?"

"C-Cardia?! T-That's not something you should say so casually." Victor blushed, frantically looking at the pair in front and hoping they hadn't caught the tail-end the conversation.

"Why not?"

He went redder from three impish males grinning at his awkward predicament. "W-Well, it's called social etiquette and relationships aren't something to pry into."

The doctor went on, explaining nuances of tact when involving relationships. The others found the impromptu lesson to be highly amusing.

Wilhelmina pretended like she couldn't hear everything being said with her heightened senses. Van Helsing scowled heavily at the idiot's inability to actually whisper.

By the time they made it to the castle, the gunman was ready shoot the males. His patience was dangerously low and he hadn't even faced the biggest challenge of the night.

"Finally!" Delacroix shouted from the base of the stairs. "It is the height of rudeness to keep a host waiting after he's extended an invitation to his home."

Wilhelmina closed the doors and took her place beside the master of the castle. "I apologize for taking so long, Master. They are…an excitable group."

He waved her off impatiently. "No matter. Van Helsing at last stands before me."

The gunman stepped forward, dismissing the concerns of his companions.

Delacroix puffed up, haughtily declaring. "Ho? You came with a retinue but don't seek their help? I don't care if you all attack at once. Tepes and I can handle you all."

Wilhelmina jerked at this. He'd made no mention of her intervention before.

"Is my assistance truly needed, Master Dracula? I though you wanted to handle this on your own?"

He went on speaking as if he hadn't heard his lazy servant issue a complaint. "It's just a matter of having more dead bodies to clean afterwards."

Bodies that she would have to clean up.

Why did he have to involve her? Couldn't Wilhelmina just watch and provided moral support?

"Here I come, Van Helsing!" Delacroix yelled before launching himself at the gunman.

"I guess…I don't have to fight?" The vampire leaned on the handle of her parasol, observing the flurry of kicks and punches that were Delacroix and Van Helsing.

Bored, she retrieved her previous cup of tea and frowned at how cold it'd become, then shrugged, drinking the liquid with mild discomfort.

The fighting intensified as the hunter transitioned from defensive to offensive. A fist sank into Delacroix's abdomen and he went flying.

Wilhelmina intercepted the boy's path, catching him and spinning to keep them upright.

"Tepes, unhand me." The boy groaned in pain.

She retained her tight hold on her master, paying more heed to the shotgun pointed at them.

"Move and I'll shoot." Van Helsing said, eyes flickering momentarily to Wilhelmina.

"So? I can easily avoid anything you try to shoot at me!" Delacroix roared angrily.

The gun angled downward to the boy.

"Would you like to try it? If you do, it will cost you your life." Van Helsing's frown became more pronounced. "Would you risk her life as well?

Wilhelmina subtly adjusted her hold on the boy, prepared to throw him if the gun did go off. Better she suffer a bullet wound than the master.

"You should already understand. You are far weaker than your late father. You cannot defeat me." Those words were delivered flatly and infuriated Delacroix.

"Then shoot!"

"Master, have you forgotten who's holding you? If he shoots it will hit both of us. Antagonizing him isn't wise." Wilhelmina put forth her opinion.

"Quiet! Are you a vampire or a coward?!"

"I'm just saying-"

"I don't want to hear it!"

A gunshot cut their bickering off.

"I only seek your surrender. I had no intention of harming you from the start." Van Helsing's ticked off look evened out to an anxious frown.

"M-Master?!" Wilhelmina was forced to drop the boy from his fierce squeezing on her arms.

He would've shattered her bones had she held on.

The brat!

The irritation vanished as she caught sight of the blood stains on her hands. Her throat seized up and hunger clawed at her.

Wilhelmina hadn't fed.

Those guards were unappetizing and unwilling. These drops were from Delacroix, a pureblood vampire!

Her hungry would be sated for a good while if she ingested his.

"N-No…m-must resist…" She scrubbed the droplets off and forcibly regulated her breathing back to normal.

The blood of a pure vampire was sacred and not to be indulged in like common food. Only those deemed worthy had the honor of receiving a drop royal blood.

She was not worthy to taste the forbidden fruit.

Another gunshot jerked her out of the haze. Delacroix rolled along the floor, unmoving.

"I warned you…" Van Helsing pointed his gun at her next. "I see those red eyes. Get ahold of yourself."

"I'm trying to…" Wilhelmina growled.

Her master had not shed any blood from the gunshot, instead there were white shards all over his clothes.

"What is that? What kind of bullets are you using?"

"Rock salt. They can't kill you but they will cause massive pain." He answered.

"Rock salt? How merciful." The thirst receded at the sight of Delacroix wobbly pushing himself to his feet.

"I…I'll kill you!" He fell right back down from another bullet hitting him.

"I take it back, you're sadistic." Van Helsing didn't stop Wilhelmina from kneeling beside her master.

"Stop him then." The hunter kept his gun aimed at the boy, face twisting with each shot he was being driven to fire.

"I will destroy you and everything you hold dear!" Delacroix shoved against his servant.

"Stop, Master Dracula. You've already lost, you're only hurting yourself at this point." Wilhelmina could force him down but any resistance he might put up would injure the boy further.

He had to decide to stop.

"Stay down." Van Helsing warned for the final time.

"I will get my revenge…no matter what! I will never forgive you for betraying my parent's kindness!" Delacroix charged.

Why couldn't Wilhelmina feel as strongly as the young vampire? Why did she not cry or rage at the human's slaughter of her people?

What was wrong with her?!

"That's enough, Van Helsing!" Cardia screamed through clenched eyes and shaky breaths.

"M-Master…" Wilhelmina turned over the convulsing boy and cradled him as she did on nights he had nightmares.

Delacroix's normally pouty face was contorted in pain and tears. "T-Tepes…Tepes, why couldn't I win?"

"Sh, shhh…Master Dracula." She comforted him as she had learned to. "I've got you."

"It should be clear that you're no match for me, Delacroix II. There is no way you can defeat me with your capabilities…" Van Helsing put his gun away.

The hard-edge remained in his expression, conflicting with softness in his voice.

"Stop stealing treasures. Humans can be more cruel than you can imagine. If you don't stay on your toes, you're going to be consumed someday." He crossed his arms and muttered even softer. "Give up trying to take your revenge out on the entire human race."

"I will never forgive you, Van Helsing! Not you, not ever!" Delacroix hissed and collapsed back into Wilhelmina.

"Yes, I'm the only one deserving of your ire." The gunman closed his eyes and stepped closer to the vampires. "But you can't kill me just yet. There is something that I must do. But…once it's all over, I'd gladly give myself to you to be killed. I deserve as much."

Delacroix was at a loss. He stared at the hunter uncomprehendingly.

"Are you being serious?" Wilhelmina asked, moving her arms to pick the boy up. "Why would you give up your life to a vampire?"

"Because my death must put an end to this quest of revenge. Don't turn this hate on anyone else."

The young vampire lifted his head from his servant's shoulder.

"What is the meaning of this? Are you trying to atone for your crime?" He shook his head. "I will not let it happen! You can't hold out a helping hand and pretend you're good!"

Van Helsing sighed.

Wilhelmina stood with her charge angled away from danger. This time she would not let Delacroix escape.

"Kill me!" She recoiled at his ear-splitting wail.

"I don't want to kill you." Van Helsing denied the request with a weariness not appropriate for someone his age.

Wilhelmina softly whispered for only the boy to hear. "Please stop, Master. Would you leave me all alone as the last vampire?"

The plea reached Delacroix and he buried his face into the woman's neck, bawling as a child was allowed to do.

"If that is all, on behalf of my master, I would ask that you all leave." The vampire turned her back to the guests, offering the king a modicum of privacy.

It appeared the fight had been taken out of everyone, including her. All Wilhelmina wished to do was bathe and sleep.

Footsteps too soft to belong to any of the males, came closer to the vampires.

"Um…" Cardia fidgeted in place.

"Yes?" The vampire addressed the girl without turning around.

"Do you think we could possibly…bring them back with us?" The question stunned everyone present.

A debate started before Wilhelmina's eyes.

Why would a human invite two vampires into their home, especially with how violent Delacroix behaved towards them? No one in their right mind would show kindness to monsters.

No.

Wilhelmina couldn't trust them. Look at what trusting humans had cost their race.

Van Helsing had been welcomed with open arms in spite of the heightening tensions and he…killed so many vampires. He betrayed them.

He betrayed her…

"Did you hear me, Tepes?"

"I'm sorry. What were you saying, Master Dracula?"

Delacroix was too exhausted to chastise her. "They're staying the night. Prepare their rooms."

"Staying here? With us? Why?"

"For the love of –- why do I bother?!" The young vampire bursted out of Wilhelmina's arms and stomped upstairs to his room.

She blinked, rubbing at her now swelling cheek and stared at the group of humans. "What did I miss?"

"Is she okay? This amount of spacing out isn't normal." Victor worriedly looked her up and down, expecting to see a bump or something on her head.

"Sadly, that's just how she is." Van Helsing moved up the steps to face Wilhelmina. "You and Delacroix are coming with us in the morning."

"He actually agreed to that girl's request?" The vampire skeptically regarded Cardia, who nodded meekly at her.

How did a stranger manage to persuade her master? Wilhelmina could hardly get him to listen to anything she suggested.

"Stop spacing out." Van Helsing insisted exasperatedly.

"My apologies. Allow me to lead you all to the guest wing." She spared a bland look for the hunter. "Not that you need a guide, Abraham. Would you like your old room?"

He flared his nostrils. "Don't push me, Wilhelmina. I'm not the person you remember."

"Obviously." The vampire lifted her dress and ascended the stairs. "This way, humans."

They followed her up, bombarding the woman with inane questions that she answered as shortly as she could without being rude.

Once at the wing, Wilhelmina gave them leave to decide amongst themselves who would get which room. The vampire rolled her eyes when Impey insisted that he and Cardia share a room for safety, to which the others replied that was more unsafe and led to them discussing further if the girl should room with one of them to be on the safe side.

"You know, it's considered highly inappropriate for her to stay with any of you. I assumed she wouldn't need a bodyguard for the night." Wilhelmina sighed. "If you're that afraid of us killing you all in your sleep, then why would you invite two vampires to live amongst you?"

"Uh, well, it's not that we're worried about that…but something else…" Victor trailed off as he glanced furtively at the girl's upper chest.

Cardia seemed to know what was being hinted at and placed a protective hand over her chest. "I'm sorry to be a bother."

"You're no bother at all, just a princess that needs to be taken care of." Lupin winked.

"I'm just the prince she needs! C'mon Cardia, we can room together and finally consummate our love!" Impey zoomed forward to embrace the girl and she instinctively moved aside, letting him crash into a door.

"You're not making a good case for yourself, Impey. Our host is rightfully displeased." Saint Germain chuckled at Wilhelmina's expressive sneer.

"No, no! Oh, goddess, don't look at me like that!" The engineer crawled to the vampire and took ahold of her hands as one would when confessing or begging for forgiveness.

"Abraham, get him away from me before I hurt him." Wilhelmina's sneer was slowly becoming more vicious the more Impey fought to hold her.

She didn't understand why it was proving difficult to pull away.

Van Helsing grabbed the back of Impey's jumpsuit and pulled.

"Nooooooo! You can't separate us, our love is too strong!"

"I've had enough for today!" In an amazing display of dexterity and strength, the vampire threw both Van Helsing and Impey straight through a door. She whirled on Cardia next. "Pick a roommate this instance and end this nonsense!"

"V-Victor!" She stuttered out on the spot.

"W-What, m-me?!" He blushed profusely.

"You heard her." Wilhelmina pointed to a room. "Move it!"

"Y-Yes, Ma'm!" The doctor ushered Cardia inside.

"The rest of you."

Lupin snapped to attention while Saint Germain smiled serenely. Impey and Van Helsing's groans could still be heard.

"Go to bed."

The miffed vampire spun on her heels and disappeared.

"Ahaha, she is as frightening as she is beautiful." Lupin laughed weakly. "A complete foil to our Cardia."

"Indeed. It pleases me that there shall be another intriguing lady under my roof." Saint Germain left with a final chuckle.

The thief poked his head in the ruined doorway. "Do you gentlemen require assistance?"

Van Helsing brushed past him, mustering curses and storming down the way Wilhelmina had gone.

Lupin hoped the man wasn't going to start another fight.

Chapter Text

"Van Helsing…Wilhelmina, aren't you two hungry?" Cardia put down her fork, concerned about the two full plates sitting untouched.

"Don't mind me." He waved off the question. "Her, on other hand."

The vampire wobbled in place, fighting to stay awake.

"Wilhelmina, are you okay?" Cardia cast a dubious look at the unresponsive female.

"…" She remained unfocused.

"Wil…helmina?"

"…"

Everyone but Van Helsing jumped out of their seats after the woman's head crashed face-first into the table.

"Is she dead? What happened?!" Victor immediately reached into his pockets for his equipment while simultaneously checking for a pulse on the vampire.

"Nooooo! My vampire maiden can't be dead, we still haven't kissed under the moonlight." Impey pounded his fist against the table.

Cardia stood nearby, wanting to help but unable to. The count patted her shoulder in reassurance.

"Calm down, she does this periodically." Van Helsing told them flippantly.

"What? This is clearly something serious." The doctor objected, grabbing the woman's shoulders to lift her up.

"I'm telling you not to bother. She'll be up." He twitched at Victor's hands on Wilhelmina.

The vampire suddenly jerked upward, almost clubbing the doctor in the face.

"I'm hungry." She declared and started eating like nothing was wrong.

"See." The gunman drank his coffee.

"Why are you on the floor, Master Victor?" The vampire's eyes moved from person to person. "Why are you all crowding me? Is something wrong? Should I take my meal back to my quarters?"

"She's totally unaware…" Impey helped Victor up and whispered to him. "Should we say something?"

"Not right now. I'll give her a check-up later." He responded.

Saint Germain addressed one of the vampire's questions. "There's no need for you to eat alone, Miss Wilhelmina. You're not a servant in my household. I'm sure I speak for all present when I say we enjoy having you at meals."

She lowered her gaze from the count's kind smile.

A week passed since she and the master moved into Saint Germain's mansion.

The relocation was an adjustment for both vampires. The biggest change was the sleeping schedules.

The vampires switched from awakening at night to awakening at morning alongside the other humans. The other major change was the count's insistence that there were no servants in his household. Everyone did chores and took care of themselves.

Delacroix went red in the face when the males told him off for working Wilhelmina like a dog by cooking all his meal, washing his clothes, running his errands, and tucking him in at night.

Lupin and Impey more or less told the boy to man up and do things on his own. The young vampire had all but secluded himself to his room afterwards, refusing to speak to any of the occupants.

Besides Wilhelmina, Cardia was probably the only person Delacroix would interact with and those interactions consisted of the girl attempting to converse and getting terse answers in return.

Wilhelmina felt so out of her element with these humans. They were turning her world upside down.

"Hey guys. What's wrong with you all? You look like hell." Lupin announced himself with a flourish.

"Where have you been? Nobody's seen you for a few days. We've all been worried." Victor inquired.

"I had some things to deal with. Apologies for not telling you in advance. But, here are the funds for our future activities." He dumped a heavy bag on the table and turned it over, expelling a mountain of bills.

Wilhelmina blinked. She'd never seen so much money in her life.

"Our troubles are long gone. With this much, we could even buy ourselves an airship!" Impey cooed over the money, fantasizing about the airship.

"Then…our money problems are over?" Cardia tilted her head.

She still didn't have a full grasp of the importance of money.

"Seems that way." Van Helsing slid a wad of cash further from his plate.

"You are quite the thief to have stolen all of that." Wilhelmina appraised Lupin in a new light. "Master Dracula and I should take notes."

"I appreciate the praise but I think you're viewing me as your common, no-good thief. I assure you, I came by this honestly, without violence." He crossed his arms and leveled everyone with a serious frown. "I didn't earn this money so we could spend it on lavish things. Let's plan our expenditures more carefully from now on."

All but Wilhelmina nodded.

How much money did these people spend on a daily basis? She couldn't fathom spending even a quarter of the amount on the table.

The clothes she borrowed from the castle were her first venture into luxury and most of them were middle-class wares and wouldn't put a dent in the mountain of bills.

"Does anyone have an idea where Delacroix the younger is?" Lupin looked primarily at Wilhelmina.

"I think Delly is in his room." Cardia answered since the vampire was giving off that dazed look.

He shook his head. "I just came from there and he wasn't in. Damn, where could he be…any idea, Wilhelmina?"

She twisted her head towards Cardia, unresponsive to Lupin. "Did you refer to Master Dracula as 'Delly'?"

"Yes." The girl lightly smiled. "Impey came up with that nickname."

The vampire covered her mouth, holding back a snort.

Her master would not agree to that nickname.

"We gotta come up with a name for Wilhelmina, too. It's pretty but a mouthful." The engineer butted in. "How bout Mina? Eh? Eh?!"

Van Helsing stiffened and put his cup down a little too quickly, causing some of it to spill over his gloves. He paid more attention to the deathly-still vampire than the burning on his skin.

"No." Wilhelmina glared intensely at Impey, causing him to shrivel up and whine pathetically. "Don't ever call me 'Mina'."

She abruptly stood, gave her thanks for the meal and drifted out.

Mina.

Wilhelmina hated that name just as much as she hated the name Tepes! She would never answer to that name.

Not that woman's name!

"Wilhelmina!"

A hand tugged her back before she could collide with a dresser and knock over a vase.

"You really must pay more attention. Even a lady would not be entirely free from Saint Germain's displeasure at finding one of his antiques destroyed." Lupin set the woman back on her feet.

"My apologies. Did you need something?"

"We wanted to check on you…and bring Delly his food." Cardia lifted the tray she was carrying.

Coincidentally, Wilhelmina walked to her master's room in her stupor. Old habits would not die.

"I do not believe he is present. I don't smell him."

"Doesn't hurt to check." The thief knocked since Cardia's hands were full.

There was no answer.

"Where could he be?" The girl set the tray by the door. "I don't want his food to get cold."

"And I must speak with him." Lupin turned his golden orbs on the other vampire. "You mentioned his scent. Are you able to locate him by smell?"

"Allow me to find him." Wilhelmina twitched her nose, sniffing for the boy's particular aroma of a dewy forest. "Follow me."

She led them to the garden where Delacroix was playing with a dog.

"Don't lick my face so much! Haha, y-you…" The young vampire protested, not doing much to stop the dog from climbing all over him and peppering his face with sloppy kisses.

"He looks like he's having fun." Cardia voiced what Wilhelmina was thinking.

The vampire hadn't seen a carefree smile grace her master's face since before the death of his parents.

"A smile makes him look cuter, doesn't it?" Lupin grinned and approached Delacroix.

With a fragment of hesitation for ruining the idyllic scene, Wilhelmina followed the two.

"Fine, very well. You may serve under me like Tepes. Isn't it an honor?" The boy picked up the dog and brought him close to his face, being licked in response. "Oh, you have potential, obeying me without resistance, unlike someone I know. I shall give you the highest seat in my army of darkness! Tepes shall have to work twice as hard to beat you."

"Do you hear how unappreciative he is of you, Wilhelmina? He is in dire need of a man-to-man talk." The thief sighed in dismay on the woman's behalf.

"What is the 'army of darkness'?" Cardia wondered.

"The army he's building to wipe out the human race." Wilhelmina provided nonchalantly and received horrified stares.

Delacroix finally took notice of his audience and jumped back to take a fighting stance. The dog whined at the sudden departure of warmth and joy.

"T-Tepes, how dare you sneak up on me! Announce yourself like you're supposed to!"

She obediently curtsied. "Pardon the intrusion, Master Dracula. Lupin and Cardia wish for an audience with you."

"What's the point of doing it now?!"

"You just said to announce myself."

"No, no, you fool! I meant you were supposed to do that before!" Delacroix ruffled his hair in frustration.

"How could I when you were immersed in playing?"

"S-Shut up!" The young vampire rounded on Wilhelmina, jabbing her in the side repeatedly. "I-I wasn't playing, that behavior is for children and I am a king!"

"As you say, Master." She took the painful hits without a break in her indifferent expression.

"I'm very concerned about his tantrums but Wilhelmina doesn't seem bothered by them." Lupin frowned thoughtfully. "Is he hitting her…playfully? Vampires are stronger than humans…maybe it's normal."

This was another issue they were going to have to address with the adolescent boy.

"I see you and Sisi have become friends." Cardia interrupted the spat.

"Hmph! It's none of your business. But…this fellow's name is Sisi?" Delacroix removed himself from his servant.

"You've been playing with him all this time and didn't know his name?" Wilhelmina smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress.

Cardia cut in before the younger vampire could snap at the older one. "Impey named him."

Delacroix's amber eyes went wide.

"The red-headed man who appears to have the lowest intellect of the bunch? A shame to think 'that' named you…" He leaned down, petting Sisi with a look of pity.

Impey Barbicane.

Wilhelmina had her suspicions that the man wasn't the idiot he played himself out to be…

More importantly, he didn't give off the same vibe as the other humans.

She would investigate more into the matter if the engineer weren't so tiring to deal with. His rampant mouth-running often made her tune him out or run in opposite direction.

Impey chasing her down afterwards usually ended with her snapping and punching him or if he was lucky, another resident would distract him away from her, saving him from a painful thrashing.

"I have a souvenir for you and the lady." Lupin's cheery snap of a finger caused Wilhelmina to blink and give him a once over.

He preened under the undivided attention.

"A souvenir? You aren't holding anything." Delacroix looked around the thief for the supposed gift.

"Oh, excuse me." The man took a large square of cloth from a pocket and laid it on the ground.

A small suitcase appeared after the cloth was removed.

"Wha-?! You're some kind of wizard!"

"Unfortunately, I'm just a gentleman thief. This was a trick. As is this." Lupin flicked his hand, holding out a flower for Wilhelmina.

"Oh…" She tentatively took it at his urging. "T-Thank you, Master Lupin…"

The words felt slippery and strange on her lips as they were genuine and not the faux thanks she usually gave Delacroix. She received flowers from one other person in her entire life.

The gesture reminded her of kind violet eyes and a shy smile.

What happened to that man?

"Ah, there's a wonderful smile. All of us were starting to wonder if we'd ever see it. I'm honored to have the first viewing of it, mademoiselle." Lupin grinned impishly and held his hand out to the other female present. "Don't think I forgot you, lovely Cardia."

Another flower appeared and so did another smile.

Delacroix still gobsmacked at the display of tricks, couldn't find it in himself to object to someone else giving tokens of affection to his servant.

Her smile and endearment belonged to him and no one else.

"Pay attention to what's inside. You'll be surprised." The thief opened the suitcase for the young vampire.

"What is this about?" Spell broken, Delacroix sniffed haughtily at Lupin's assured attitude.

"Master, look!" Wilhelmina gasped at the contents.

"T-Those are…the treasures of the vampires I was supposed to steal back!" The boy fell to his knees, reverently inspecting all the beautiful pieces of artwork, gems, and antiques. "Look, Tepes! It's our people's heirlooms."

"Yes, I see." She softened and accepted some of the jewels he thrust into her hands for inspection.

"You had them all this time?! Give them back! They belong to my people!"

Lupin patted the irate boy's head, effectively stopping him from pummeling the thief. "Yes, yes, I know. I stole all these for you."

"S-Stole them? For me?" Delacroix stopped pushing against the man, who let out a tiny sigh of relief from the impromptu workout.

Lupin knew that if he really wanted to, the little vampire could've overpowered him.

Wilhelmina closed the suitcase and stood. "I do believe he's telling the truth."

Amber eyes flickered distrustfully between the case and thief, debating if the man would try to take it back.

"I never steal for myself. I do it for others. I just found where your treasures were kept and picked them up." Lupin patted Delacroix's head more kindly this time. "I looked into it and the people who owned these items were all making dirty money. It felt good to steal from them."

The boy jerked away from the petting and stood resolutely by Wilhelmina, snarling in mortification. "W-What is the meaning of this? I have no way to repay you for these."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to take them back. I've already been paid handsomely by the folks I stole these from."

"Oh…the 'handling fee' you mentioned?" Cardia smiled at him.

Lupin laughed, nodding joyously.

"How do you like it, Sir Delacroix, Lady Wilhelmina? This is how a real thief gets things done." He spun, giving them a graceful bow.

"I'm not going to thank you." Delacroix blushed hotly, crossing his arms and stubbornly turning his nose up at the man.

"I will." The young vampire squawked as Wilhelmina bowed her head deeply. "Thank you for retrieving these, Master Lupin. You've saved me from months of tedious work."

Lupin lifted her chin and smiled pleasantly.

"I should be thanking the two of you. Going after these artifacts allowed me to earn a huge amount of money in a way I view as ethical." He tapped her nose as an afterthought. "Stop adding Master to my name as well."

Cardia smiled at the affronted expression on the vampire's face from the playful admonishment. "I see. We have Delly and Will to thank for you taking action."

Delacroix raised his hand imperiously. "Hold on, you can't possibly be calling me 'Delly' can you? I will not be referred to by such a ridiculous name."

"Pardon, but 'Delacroix the Second' is a mouthful. It's not making fun of you, it's a step towards true friendship." Lupin defended.

"Tsk! And what of Tepes? Why are you lot calling her 'Wilhelmina' and now 'Will'?"

Cardia and Lupin shared a confused frown and glanced at the older vampire for help.

"Wilhelmina is my original name, Master Dracula. Tepes is the name I was-" She stopped herself from using the word "forced".

As much as she disliked the name, it would be ungrateful of her to vocalize dissatisfaction. Taking on a new designation in exchange for a place to belong wasn't unreasonable.

"It was the name given to me by Father upon my arrival to the coven and how the other vampires referred to me."

"What? Why was I…unaware of this?" A sad look clouded over Delacroix's face.

Why at times did it feel like he knew nothing about his servant?

"Looks like there's a bit of naming confusion with you two." Lupin quipped to bring the mood back up.

The rumbling of Delacroix's stomach did the trick.

"I left some breakfast by the door to your room if you want it." Cardia perked up.

"I-I don't need breakfast!" He ran towards the mansion and then whirled around. "I will not thank you! I'm not indebted to you at all!"

Lupin shrugged.

"Don't just stand there! Come with me, Tepes!"

She blew out a puff of air. "Yes, Master Dracula."

"Never a break for you, Miss Will. At least it means you're doing a good job." The thief chuckled at her pout.

She chewed her lip pensively. "I've a nickname too, now…I suppose it's better than 'Mina'."

"Tepes!"

"Coming, Master."

"May we come with you, Will?" Cardia fell in step with the vampire.

Sisi trotted behind them.

"As you wish."

Her new life was so tiring.

Realize

"Is this necessary, Master Doctor?" Wilhelmina sighed for fifth time as Victor jotted down more notes after taking her pulse.

"Just 'Victor' is fine…" He absentmindedly replied before registering her question. "It is absolutely necessary! People don't collapse out of nowhere. Do you know how terrified I was when you slumped against the table?!"

She shrugged unhelpfully, nearly knocking off the device on her chest. "At least I nodded off while eating and not in the middle of a fight."

"What?!"

"It's happened before and Master Dracula tossed me to safety. Afterwards he smacked me until I awoke and gave me an earful." Wilhelmina relaxed against the couch since Victor wouldn't be done anytime soon. "He doesn't make me fight unless necessary because of the unpredictability of my naps. The other vampires weren't so accommodating…particularly, Father…"

"These blackouts have been going on for years and no one's taken you to a doctor?!" He was borderline hysterical at the blatant abuse Wilhelmina went through without complaint, or rather, indifferent acceptance.

He did catch her muttering when Delacroix wasn't nearby.

Victor also saw a terrible scar peeking out on the back of her neck after the vampire removed the outer layers of her dress.

Her ribs were also tender upon inspection. He'd expected them to be broken from often Delacroix hit her. Thankfully, they weren't.

However, all of this had to stop.

"I want you to come to my room for weekly check-ups. You and Cardia are a handful on my nerves." Victor set his tools down and gazed firmly at Wilhelmina. "I'm going to fix this, I promise."

"What's there to fix? I just sleep more than most."

It felt odd to have someone so interested in her wellbeing.

"There's a difference between being lethargic and blacking out. While we're on the subject, your low energy levels even when consuming food on a regular basis, concerns me. Are you getting enough to eat?" He lifted a chart and read over its contents. "You're underweight for a woman your age as well. Maybe I should tell Impey to increase your servings."

At twenty-four, Wilhelmina appeared fragile underneath the layers of fancy clothing.

"Human food can't sustain me like fresh blood does." She groaned pitifully. "Just thinking about it makes me hungry…and I already had breakfast."

Delacroix's blood had been right there on her hand…waiting for her to sample it. Old conditioning prevented her from indulging in the divine liquid.

What a shame.

"W-Will, your eyes are glowing r-red!" Victor rolled back from her.

"Sorry…I would…really like to bite someone right now. Abraham threatened to shoot me if I did though." She chewed her lip instead, willing the bloodlust to rest. "Human food isn't as good…"

The doctor hummed in acknowledgement.

"It's easy to forget you and Delly are vampires with how adaptive you two are to human tendencies. I'll have to speak with Saint Germain about this." He started mumbling more to himself. "I could get some blood packs from a hospital but there's no way to store it. Or I could donate mine…maybe rotations…"

Wilhelmina blinked, stunned at how much thought Victor was putting into her complaint. "You needn't worry about me. I'll figure it out."

"How were you and Delly getting blood before?" The doctor didn't look up from his writing.

"Master Dracula hasn't reached maturity yet so he doesn't require many feedings. Human food satisfies his hunger on most days. A blood feeding once a month is enough for him. When that time comes, he bites from me." The vampire inspected her arm where fading puncture wounds were.

They would've healed completely if she had a consistent supply of blood to facilitate her healing.

"Recently he's started getting shy about feeding from me directly. I have to slit my wrist and give it to him in a glass. I don't understand the sudden bashfulness."

For some reason Delacroix had been getting shyer and shyer by the day around Wilhelmina. Before, the brat didn't bat an eye at her bathing and clothing him but now he absolutely hated it.

Plus, the feeding had become an issue. Didn't he understand that cuts were worse than puncture wounds?

"Ah, I'm hearing so many things I shouldn't! Vampire culture is another world." Victor stuttered, knocking over some of his equipment.

"Would you rather speak to Abraham? Surely he can explain our nature in a manner that won't unsettle you." Wilhelmina returned all the fallen items back to their original place in the blink of an eye.

"Somehow I think that would be even more awkward." He gaped at the returned equipment and then shook his head, deciding to inquire about something else. "Do you mind telling me why you call Van Helsing by his first name so easily? You're uncomfortable addressing the rest of us casually."

As a certified doctor, Victor felt obligated to treat her wounds both physically and mentally but as the days were passing, he was beginning to get more invested in treating the poor girl more as a friend would and less as a doctor would.

"Hmm, it's because I'm not trying to be respectful to him." Wilhelmina was sporting such a cute pout that Victor chuckled. "And…old habits are hard to break. It's the same thing with Master Dracula whining about me calling him 'Master Delacroix'. It doesn't work."

Van Helsing insisted on the informality between them after how much time they spent together.

As an honored guest of the king, he wasn't required to interact with Wilhelmina but after the one time he caught her sleeping alone in the forest away from the castle, Van Helsing took an interest in her like no one had before.

"What's funny?" She asked after Victor's chuckles increased in volume.

"N-Nothing, it's just cute to see you complaining with that big pout. I'm relieved that you don't mind doing it in front of me." He was concerned that her apathy ran so deep that Wilhelmina view her treatment as acceptable.

Technically, abusive masters weren't anything new in their society but in this household, no one would stand to see a lady be mistreated.

"I complain all the time, just out of the master's hearing range." She confirmed what Victor already suspected. "Are you finished with your examination?"

"A-Ah, almost! I got distracted." He removed all the devices off her and jotted down some more observations. "One last question and you can go."

The vampire patiently waited for the doctor to look up from his writing.

"You told me how Delly acquires blood…how do you? Does he let you bite him?"

This time it was Wilhelmina that burst out laughing.

"W-What? Was that rude? Wrong? Too intrusive?" Victor panicked, wondering if he should get Van Helsing to teach him about vampires to prevent any slip-ups from him.

Delacroix might put up more of a fuss than Wilhelmina if Victor said something to set him off.

"I-It's absurd is what it is!" Tears gathered at the corner of Wilhelmina's eyes. "The very idea that a pureblood would allow a low-born vampire to feed from them is blasphemy! It's like asking your queen to let dirty peasants dine off her table."

"I get it." Victor said softly, expression going sour at the mention of Britain's monarch.

Wilhelmina calmed herself.

"Don't feel bad, Master Victor. You didn't offend me." She curled her lips upwards, exposing her fangs. "In fact, you gave me the greatest laugh. For that, I thank you."

"I-If you say so, Will…" He didn't like how self-depreciating her smile appeared. "Back to my question."

"I fed on the humans unfortunate enough to trespass on the castle grounds. You all saw what I did to them afterwards."

Victor remembered. The horrific sight of heads on pikes was forever seared in his mind.

"You won't be doing any of that here. I promise I'll come up with something, just hang tight."

She'd been hanging tight for two weeks now.

"Yes, Doctor."

He smiled. "I'm all done here. Why don't you get some rest? I know mornings are still difficult for you."

Wilhelmina lit up. "Truly? Are those your orders as a doctor?"

His smile got brighter and he chuckled. "Uh-huh. I'll tell Delly the same thing if he whines about it."

"I think you may be my favorite human, Master Victor."

"Aww, you're making me blush, Will." Victor rubbed his head, cheeks red at her sweet smile.

Realize

"Wilhelmina if you don't get up, I'm dragging you out." Van Helsing threatened, pulling hard enough on the duvet to rip it in two.

"No. Master Victor said I could sleep." She burrowed deeper into the cocoon of blankets.

"He said you could nap, not go into hibernation!" He switched tactics since pulling was proving fruitless.

The man dug his hands beneath the sheets, searching for the vampire.

"Stop bothering me."

"I would, if everyone else weren't afraid to wake you." He growled. "Your laziness is worse than I remember."

"Go away, Abraham!" Wilhelmina screeched as a hand latched onto her foot. "Let go!"

"Not a chance. Out of this bed and into the meeting these fools are holding." Van Helsing yanked her out of the hiding place and instantly regretted it. "W-What? Why are you undressed?! It's still light out!"

The vampire scowled petulantly. "This is my room, isn't it? I can sleep however I wish."

Van Helsing fought to maintain his composure in the face of Wilhelmina sprawled out before him in a blue chemise that was practically see-through.

Much of her porcelain skin was exposed and the man's eyes unconsciously flickered between the vampire's long legs and the rise and fall of her chest. His breath hitched painfully and the room felt entirely too hot.

"Ow, ow, ow. Stop squeezing, you'll break it!" She re-claimed her foot after he let go in a moment of mortification.

Wilhelmina raised her leg to inspect the area.

"Ugh, now you're leaving bruises on me."

"Do you have no modesty?! I can see everything!" The gunman slammed her leg down, hiding the matching undergarments from view.

He felt the slightest bit bad for the moan of pain she hissed out.

"Why are you being so rough with me, Abraham?! Or were you always a brute?" Wilhelmina whined, trying to shuffle back under the covers and away from the man strong-arming her.

For a human, Van Helsing was astonishingly strong.

He flinched as if struck, allowing the woman to slip back under the covers.

The gunman scoffed, jerking her right back out and pulling Wilhelmina to her feet. "Get dressed. Now. We're making the others wait."

"Are you going to watch me?" She met his heated gaze unflinchingly.

"I feel like if I step out, you'll dive back in bed and we'll be repeating this all over."

"Fine. I don't care." The vampire wrenched her arm out of his hold.

She kicked her stockings off the ground and into her hand, proceeding to put them on right in front of her audience.

"W-Wilhelmina!" Van Helsing spun away from the tempting sight, grinding his teeth at how hyper-aware he was of every sigh she exhaled, every rustle of clothing, and how utterly uncomfortable his body's responses were making him.

"You were the one who refused to leave."

The gunman counted to ten, breathing very deeply to ignore his pounding heart.

"I'm done."

Van Helsing stole a glance backwards and faced her again after verifying that she was indeed decent.

"Your hair is a mess." He snorted.

"It's fine." Wilhelmina decided after spotting her reflection.

Her hair wasn't unseemly to look at.

"No, it's not. Otherwise I wouldn't have pointed it out."

The vampire scowled impatiently at the man.

"Fix it."

"…"

"I'm not asking you, woman."

Wilhelmina huffed and moved over to the vanity. "You're so bossy! 'Wilhelmina get up', 'Wilhelmina get dressed', 'Wilhelmina fix your hair'. I didn't realize you were my master, Abraham."

She hissed from the brush meeting tangles in her rushed strokes.

"Don't mock me. You're the one still acting like a child."

"At least one of us hasn't changed." A thick mass of tangles almost caused the vampire to drop the brush.

"Give me that!" Van Helsing swiped the object and took ahold her hair. "Of all the childish, insufferable women I've met, you top them all."

Despite how harshly he cursed at her his strokes were gentle. In no time, the dark tresses became soft as silk.

"Abraham?" Wilhelmina felt like she could choke on his scent from how closely he was leaning in.

His nose was inches away from the top her head.

The nostalgia of the moment wasn't lost to her. She couldn't breathe.

Not long ago in a castle thriving with occupants, Van Helsing would visit her and seeing how exhausted she was from serving the royal family, offer to comb her hair with the tenderest of touches that could send her straight to dreamland. She continued to feel hands carding through her hair even after she drifted off.

The ritual started after Wilhelmina confided in him that she missed having someone else do it. Admitting that she longed for her mother's rare instances of maternal affection had been one of her most vulnerable moments with Van Helsing.

Did that man with kind eyes and abundant affection still exist? Could he still exist after everything he did two years ago?

"Lets go." Van Helsing let the strands of hair slip out his grasp and he was out the door.

Wilhelmina toyed with the ends of her hair.

If Delacroix killed the man, she wouldn't be dealing with this annoying confusion. Why didn't she hate him?

Why were her thoughts constantly going back to what once was?

"The sleeping beauty rises at last. I feared we were going to have to put you in a coffin." Saint Germain set his tea down on the plate he was holding. "Van Helsing doesn't look injured. We might have to appoint him as Miss Wilhelmina's alarm clock."

She'd made it to the meeting room without thinking about it.

"That's supposed to be my job. Don't take away my favorite part of the day! I love trying to wake Sleeping Beauty with a kiss." Impey objected wholeheartedly.

"But you end up the most damaged when you're the one to wake her. I don't think we should torment Miss Wilhelmina further nor use up more of Victor's time and supplies for treating you."

"Saint G, how can you say that?! My face is a great thing to wake up to!" The engineer grinned brightly, motioning for Wilhelmina to sit by him on the couch. "Right, Will?"

"No, I don't think so." The vampire took the opposite seat by Lupin.

"Rejected twice in one instant." He cried. "Van Helsing, I can count you."

The engineer attempted once more for someone to take the empty seat beside him.

The gunman wordlessly sat next to Victor.

"Why are you all so unappreciative of my amazingness?!"

"I'll sit next to you if it means that much, Impey." Cardia scooted forward to get up from her place next to the count but he tutted, patting her knee in the negative.

"We mustn't spoil him, Miss Cardia."

Impey wept buckets of tears.

Wilhelmina sighed. Such weird group of humans.

A thief that stole only when it helped others. An engineer obsessed with reaching the moon. A doctor featured on every wanted-poster in the city. A vampire hunter. A count with hoarding tendencies.

Tying them all together was a girl with a poisonous touch.

Wilhelmina didn't believe them for a minute when Cardia's condition was explained. A demonstration of the girl melting a flower with the lightest touch of her bare finger made a believer out of Delacroix and her.

What kind of human had that power? What kind of father would curse his child with the inability to touch anything?

Wilhelmina's father would appear a saint next to Issac Beckford and her sire was in no sense, a loving parent.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty." Lupin whispered into her ear, earning a shiver from her. "You are one step away from sleeping with your eyes open."

"Don't do that, Master Lupin. I might accidentally hit you out of surprise."

"Then you should pay attention, you missed everything." The thief flashed her a smirk. "Unless you want me whispering in your ear."

She shrugged. "Better than being hit."

Six pairs of eyes stared at her.

"Why don't you ladies turn in for the night? There are some things needed to be discussed among us men." Saint Germain bid them obey with a peaceful smile.

Cardia nodded. "I can go over the plan with Will."

"You humans stay busy it seems." She stood and went with the girl.

Cardia recounted Victor's gamble to coerce Queen Victoria into lifting his warrant and limiting Twilight's movements as they checked on Delacroix before heading to bed.

The boy most likely wouldn't be interested in helping. Wilhelmina was on the fence about lending her help despite the other's inclusion of her in the plan.

A vampire shouldn't meddle in human affairs but Victor was the one asking for help…

He did promise to procure blood for her and he was worming his way into her affection.

Maybe Wilhelmina could lend a hand.

Chapter Text

"You want me to house-sit? How dare you all! Why would I-"

Lupin cut Delacroix off with a firm ruffle to the head. "Young boys such as yourself shouldn't involve themselves in dangerous things."

The boy snorted and jerked away from the patronizing display of affection. "I am the Vampire King! I am not a child to be looked down upon."

"Look at that, Lupin stinks at being a stern Papa. Guess that means you're no good for either of our princesses." Impey teased, enjoying the front-row seat to someone else crashing and burning in front of the group.

"I don't see why you're gloating. You can't even take care of a dog, let alone a child." Van Helsing coldly pointed out, ticked that they were still at the mansion instead of the hotel.

"Sisi and I are a work in progress, I tell you!" The engineer demonstrated by scooping the dog up and cuddling it. "Eh?! No, Sisi!"

Needless to say, Sisi disagreed with Impey. The dog tried to chew the man's cheek like a toy.

"How can you justify taking 'that' with you while insisting I stay?!" Delacroix huffed petulantly. "On top of that, you're taking my servant, too!"

Wilhelmina tilted dangerously to the side. Saint Germain saved her from toppling to the ground by holding her in his arms.

"She's not even awake!" The boy added.

The others mildly panicked, expecting the worst.

Wilhelmina's eyes fluttered open before they could call out. "How did I get here? Are you going to carry me, Saint Germain?"

He chuckled. "I certainly wouldn't mind providing that service, my lady. Alas, it would draw unnecessary attention so I must regrettably decline."

"Oh, I was hoping to sleep more if I was going to be carried." The vampire muttered.

Her pout caused the count's smile to crack.

"Ah, please don't make that face…my resolve won't hold."

"Screw that, I'll let mine crumble. Will, let me carry you!" Impey lunged for her and missed.

"You're so loud I wouldn't get any sleep." She flatly denied him.

Cardia rubbed the crying man's back.

"Do you think you can handle this, Will? I'm very grateful for your cooperation but if you're too tired, you can house-sit with Delly." Victor examined Wilhelmina with worry.

"I'll be fine."

"I racked my brain all night for a possible cure to your lethargy and came up with nothing. Narcolepsy isn't a confirmed malady so it's really guess-work at this point."

"It's fine, Master Victor. Don't work yourself up." The vampire maintained a patient air.

She sort of…liked the attention.

"It's not fine. Tepes is clearly going to have a sleeping episode and you humans won't be able to protect her." Delacroix grabbed her hand, pulling Wilhelmina away from the humans. "She should stay with me!"

Lupin cackled. "Aww, are you throwing this tantrum because you don't want to be alone? How adorable."

"N-Nonsense! I told you, I'm not a child!" The young vampire sputtered, cheeks flushing red and hand tugging wildly at his servant. "I'm doing my duty as a master by ensuring my servant survives. It's only natural!"

Cardia entered the conversation with an encouraging smile. "So you do care about Will. I'm glad you're not as alone as I first thought."

The younger vampire blushed brightly under everyone's teasing laughter. "Stop this at once!"

Van Helsing rubbed his temples and shouted over the chatter. "Are we leaving or not?!"

Wilhelmina tugged at her hand clasped tightly in Delacroix's. "Time for me to go, Master Dracula."

He frowned, clenching harder and defiantly snorting out his nose.

"Master?"

"…"

"Master Dracula…"

"Fine. Go then!" Delacroix finally let go of Wilhelmina's hand and turned his back to her. "Useless servant, abandoning her master for retched humans!"

The boy stomped off, hurling more insults directed at the older vampire.

Cardia fidgeted. "Is he going to be okay? He seems really upset… Maybe I should stay and Will goes."

"No. We're all needed for the plan." Lupin assuaged her worries with a faint smile.

"But…"

"Believe me, Cardia. Our dishonest Delly will be fine. Outbursts like that are normal for adolescent boys, particularly ones with attachment issues."

"Speaking from experience, Lupin." Victor joked.

"More or less…"

"Let's go already." Van Helsing reminded them for the second time.

As the group gathered at the doors, Delacroix appeared over the railing and yelled for the vampire hunter.

"What is it? We don't need any more delays."

The boy's puffed up face turned murderous. "You better bring my Tepes back in one piece or else…"

Wilhelmina held in a snort.

Delacroix had been soundly defeated by Van Helsing. His threats were meaningless.

"Understood." The gunman slightly nodded his head in acknowledgment.

"Perhaps our initial assumptions about their relationship was wrong. There is tenderness present." Saint Germain mused, recalling the long discussion the men had about Delacroix's abuse of his servant and how they were going to fix the boy's behavior.

"Don't say that Saint G. I want Will all to myself. Adding Van Helsing to the mix complicates things." Impey grinned goofily.

"I think the count was referring to Delly and Will." Victor corrected.

"Of course, that would fly over your head, Impey." Lupin shook his head wearily. "And I thought Cardia was your true love. Have you moved on that quickly?"

"Gah, no way! Cardia is still my number one!" The engineer swung out his arms for a hug. "I'm sorry for making you jealous, baby."

She side-stepped the contact. "Careful, Impey. You can't touch my skin."

Van Helsing felt a vein burst in his forehead. "Everyone outside in five seconds or you're getting a load of rock salt!"

Wilhelmina was amazed to see humans move so fast.

Realize

"Ahem! This is Captain Rempart Leonhardt, of the Royal Family Guard!"

The loud, obnoxious voice roused Wilhelmina.

She groggily sat up from her sprawled position on the couch. "W-What's going on?"

The others were too caught up in their own business to answer.

Van Helsing finished cleaning off his gun. Saint Germain uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, smile less genial and more alert. Impey chewed nervously on his nails while Lupin hovered by the window.

"This hotel is surrounded by two hundred British soldiers! Surrender, now!"

"Captain Leonhardt? Why is he here?!" Victor paled, causing Cardia to grab his sleeve at the sudden tilt in his posture.

Wilhelmina rubbed her eyes languidly as the humans panicked.

"Change of plans. I'll draw their attention and you guys get out of here." The girl squeezed harder at the doctor's suggestion.

He laid his hand over hers.

"Leonhardt is the captain of Victoria's personal guard. He works under different orders than Twilight. If that's the case, then he's only after me, alone." Victor took a deep, resigned breath. "I'll tell them that I threatened you to shelter me and act alongside me."

"But what will happen to you?" Cardia lowered her eyes, silently pleading for him to change his mind with her dejected frown.

"It'll be fine. I'll negotiate after I've been captured. I'll get through this."

"I won't let you do this!" She yelled with emotion. "It's too early to start sacrificing ourselves to help everyone."

Wilhelmina found herself wide-awake from the normally soft-spoken girl's outburst and she wasn't the only one.

"What's the matter?" Cardia shrank back from the undivided attention.

"Oh, it's just that…you never really raise your voice like that…" Victor mumbled in disbelief. "It's like when Wilhelmina blew up over the rooms."

"But I can't just…let you give yourself up for this…" The girl was on the verge of tears.

The others chimed in with their refusal to give Victor up.

The true surprise came when Wilhelmina spoke in his defense too but the sentiment lost some of its appeal when she explained that losing the doctor meant losing a steady food source.

Smoke filling up the room led to the group's department from the hotel room. Soldiers awaited them in the hallway, as did a new human bent on goading Lupin.

"You should always expect the unexpected! I thought that would be second nature to you."

Lupin cursed the man's name under his breath.

"You're much better at falling into traps then I'd hoped. I have to thank you for making my job much easier."

Herlock Sholmes and the thief got into an argument that Wilhelmina tuned out with a sigh. She preoccupied herself with the soldiers advancing on them.

Van Helsing lifted his gun. The vampire twisted the handle for her parasol.

"I apologize but I can't be captured just yet." Victor placed his hand over the shotgun, exchanging a glance with the holder.

"Well and good to say but all your exits have been blocked. This hallway, the hotel lobby, even the streets are blockaded." Sholmes crossed his arms confidently. "There is no way out."

"Yes, there is. Just one!" There was no warning before the doctor threw a test tube at the ground.

The floor caved in under their feet.

Victor caught a flailing Cardia and Impey, not to be undone, embraced Wilhelmina. She groaned and decided to let him get away with it.

The two with cargo stood unstably on the floor below while the other three males scoped the area for soldiers.

"Whooooa! That was scary! Let's get the heck out of here!" Impey ran with Wilhelmina still clasped in his arms.

It wasn't until the group reached a flight of stairs that the vampire was released and free to run on her own.

Saint Germain pushed Cardia aside from a sneak attack and peeled off from the group to deal with the newly-arrived Twilight members.

Van Helsing gave the go-ahead to leave the count to his own devices and assured the scared girl that the man could defend himself. Wilhelmina's brows furrowed at the praise, just like Impey, there was something mysteriously off about Saint Germain.

"Finally, an exit! Let's get the hell out of this place!" Impey kicked down the door.

Wilhelmina paused to inspect the broken exit. The strength used to unhinge it couldn't belong to a human.

Further investigation was needed.

"There's no time for your spacing out!" Van Helsing took her arm and pulled the vampire along.

Outside, soldiers surrounded the Ornithopter and pointed their guns at the group.

"Arsene Lupin! I've finally found you! It's time for you to give in, at last!" The loud voice could only belong to Leonhardt.

The man appeared from behind his subordinates.

"It's like the old man doesn't even care about Victor anymore!" Lupin groused, annoyed at his growing list of pursuers.

As if Sholmes wasn't bad enough.

"I will capture you right now and clear my name!" Leonhardt drew his sword, pointing it at the group. "Lupin and accomplishes! Give yourselves up now!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what do we do?! We've had so many close calls I don't know what to do anymore!" Impey blanched.

"It's easy. If they can see through our plans, then there's only one thing left to do." Van Helsing twirled his shotguns. "Defeat them by force."

"A simple plan. I like it." Wilhelmina agreed, drawing her own saber from the parasol. She could feel the bloodlust building in anticipation of the bloody battle.

The soldiers advanced.

"Do they actually think they can stop me with this handful of peons?" The gunman smirked.

"You!" Leonhardt roared, jabbing his sword in Van Helsing's direction. "How could you defy the government, when you're supposed to be a hero?!"

Wilhelmina sneered at the man's persisting bellowing and from the reminder of the vampire hunter's past.

His violet orbs flickered to the irate vampire growling next to him. "I threw away any accolades a long time ago. I have no regrets."

"You threw it away? How dare you treat an honorable title given to you by Her Majesty that way! Arrest him for lese-majeste!"

Van Helsing moved before any of the troops could react to the captain's commands. Explosions went off at the soldier's feet and a cloud of dust rose, cloaking Wilhelmina's swift movements.

"Victor! We'll clear the path. Run!" The gunman ordered from within the dust.

"Got you." Wilhelmina's blade was inches from its target but the man flew back from rock salt hitting him square in the chest. "Why are you butting in? I don't need help."

She scowled at Van Helsing.

He marched up to her. "I'm not protecting you, I'm protecting those men from you! Don't aim for the jugular or anywhere vital."

She faltered at his intense glare that gave her shivers. "H-How am I supposed to fight then?"

"Shallow, non-lethal cuts is how. No stabbing or killing."

"This blade is literally made for impaling. You're denying my way of life!" The vampire swung her sword in frustration. "Would you like for me to fight with my umbrella instead?!"

"There's an idea. I'm sure with your strength it would prove to be a knockout."

Lupin landed nearby, ducking a swing to his head. "Far be it for me to interrupt a lover's spat but we are in the middle of a fight for our lives!"

"Don't put that label on this!" Van Helsing fired at a soldier behind the thief.

Faintly, a blush could be detected on his cheeks.

"Abraham's bossing me around, again." Wilhelmina crossed her arms, effortlessly evading the slow human's maneuvers. "'Don't aim for the jugular', 'Don't stab anyone', and 'No killing'. Gah! So annoying!"

"Is she really throwing a tantrum?!" Lupin gaped at her sulky mannerisms, nearly dropping a test tube and knocking himself out. "I fear Delly and Will are feeding off each other's bad habits."

"Tsk! It's impossible for a child to take care of another child." The gunman covered the thief's back, shooting those that didn't get knocked out by Victor's formula.

"We all thought Delacroix might be the problem but maybe they both are."

"Ugh! Go away if I can't kill you!" Wilhelmina kicked the soldier in front of her, sending him crashing into three others. "This is more tedious than when Master Dracula made me fight blindfolded on an empty stomach as punishment for falling asleep in the bath."

"There are so many things that need to be fixed with those two." Lupin tugged his hat downward to hide his troubled expression.

Van Helsing leaned back from a soldier thrown directly at him. "Understatement of the year."

"How's that, 'Master Abraham'?" Wilhelmina appeared in front of the gunman, jutting her chin upward to snarl at the man.

He dragged his eyes from the shorter woman to the unconscious lumps scattered throughout the street. "Not a single drop of blood…I suppose you did a good job."

Her face went blank and her posture became less hostile.

"What? Expecting a pat on the head or something?" The words were out before Van Helsing could help himself.

He blamed the slip on the lost expression on Wilhelmina's face.

Once upon a time, he might've rewarded her with affection and not animosity.

The vampire was quiet for a spell before muttering. "The old you might've done that…"

She slammed her saber back into its slot and stepped back from her close proximity to Van Helsing.

"But I should be grateful the Human Weapon is still letting me breathe."

He glared at her.

"A-Ah, the tension is palpable." Lupin shied away, feeling like he was intruding on a private affair.

The thief wondered if he was on the mark, declaring their bickering as a lover's spat?

"Are you intent on reaching Her Majesty?! I swear on my honor, I will not allow this!"

The three comrades looked at the zealous captain jumping high enough to reach the Ornithopter and hang on it.

The machine tilted dangerously to the side. Victor and Cardia were moments from falling out.

"Amazing…is he truly human? I didn't think it possible for them to leap like frogs." Wilhelmina shielded her eyes from the sun's rays.

Victor hit Leonhardt in the face with a test tube.

"Nooooo! I will not fail the queen!" The man screamed futilely as he fell and hit the ground, immediately falling into a deep sleep from the drugs.

"I am…mystified by him. What I just witnessed defies logic…" The vampire stared at the snoring captain, poking at his cheek.

"Quit messing around, there are more guards coming!" Van Helsing barked when her antics involved tugging at Leonhardt's mustache.

Wilhelmina scowled at him. She stopped curling her fingers in the mustache and rejoined the men.

"Just how many are there? I don't know if we should be flattered or upset that they gathered a large force to stop us." Lupin sighed and rummaged in his coat for more test tubes.

"It goes to show how big of a threat we've become." The gunman took out two soldiers trying to ambush him. "Doesn't matter how many they throw at me. These weaklings are no issue."

"Not all of us can be so merciless…" The thief grimaced at all the soldiers dropping like flies between Van Helsing's bullets and Wilhelmina's fists.

His pride took a slight hit. The thief's method of nonviolence wasn't making him much of an asset.

A lady was fighting more than him for goodness sake! Worse, Lupin didn't have many test tubes left.

"The Human Weapon and the Impaler…they're a force to be reckoned. I feel sorry for the soldiers."

Wilhelmina's laughter accompanied pained grunts and Van Helsing yelled reprimands as her fighting got more and violent.

Realize

"Cheers!" Everyone shouted in varying degrees of enthusiasm.

Glasses clinked together afterwords.

Victor successfully blackmailed the queen and got Twilight off their backs. Impey cooked a feast in celebration.

The food alleviated Wilhelmina's bad mood from the restricted fighting.

Van Helsing took the minuscule amount of fun of she got out fighting by constantly yelling at her to use non-lethal strikes. When she got fed up with him and almost beheaded a human, the gunman seized her sword. Furthering the insult, Lupin expressed his distaste for Wilhelmina's previous ways and asked that she try not to kill anyone.

After having them both come down on her, the vampire childishly sat out the rest of the fighting, ignoring Van Helsing and Lupin's cries for her not to lounge like a sitting duck on a battlefield.

Unfortunately for them, she ended up falling asleep during the fight. The gunman and thief got a first-hand experience of what it was like to defend Wilhelmina during an episode.

Who were they to tell her how to fight?

Why should she show mercy to a race that exterminated hers? To the race that abandoned her…

"Silence! Don't call me by that wretched nickname!" The table shook from the force of Delacroix's fist. "I was tasked with the responsibility of caring for my subordinate, Sisi. It is my duty to ensure that he gets fed. That's the only reason I'm here."

Impey frowned. "Eh? Where's the love for Will? She's your subordinate, too."

Wilhelmina and Delacroix shared a fleeting glance before the boy sniffed, unimpressed.

"She can fend for herself."

The older vampire withheld a sigh.

Her master had been giving her the silent treatment since she'd returned. Though, he did go into a mild panic when Lupin told him of her episode.

Five minutes of concerned questions and glances were all Wilhelmina was allowed before he went back to treating her like dirt.

Delacroix's moodiness didn't stop him from sitting next to her for dinner and hissing whenever any of the males tried to take the empty seat on her other side. Cardia ended up claiming the empty spot.

Wilhelmina's master was an utter imp.

"Do we have a visitor?" Cardia tilted her head from the sound of the ringing doorbell.

"Have we ever had visitors here?" Impey scratched his head pensively.

"No, we haven't." Saint Germain' placid smile dropped, becoming a contemplative frown.

"Then, whoever's at the door…" The girl nervously averted her eyes.

"Is surely some sort of uninvited guest." Victor tensed, considering if he'd made a mistake.

Did he put everyone at risk with his gamble? Victoria and he had come to an agreement though!

"They're at the door." Wilhelmina warned.

"We know, Will. We're-" The rest of Lupin's words died on his tongue as the dining room door opened and in walked Sholmes.

"Good day, gentlemen. Ladies." He smiled pleasantly.

The thief leaped out of his seat and Sholmes smirked at the dramatic reaction.

"There was no response, so I invited myself in."

Wilhelmina took this time to examine the detective Lupin complained fervently about during the car ride home.

Herlock Sholmes was effeminate looking for a man, on par with Impey and Saint Germain. His blood would probably be half-decent.

"What's this? Are you in the middle of a celebration? It would appear I've dropped by at just the right moment." For some reason the detective tipped his hat and smiled at Wilhelmina. "How do you do, my lady? I couldn't help noticing your intense gaze. You're a new face. Might I know your name?"

"What do you want?! Are you here to capture us?!" Lupin interjected to draw interest away from the vampires.

"No, I would never do that. I prefer to keep my work and my private life separate." Sholmes was irked from being denied an answer from the mystery woman. "And as you are no longer criminals, there is no need for me to arrest you."

"Then…why are you here?" Cardia asked before Lupin could lose his temper.

The thief and detective were water and oil personified.

"I've come all this way to inform you that I'm no longer your enemy. You should be grateful."

The vampire scoffed in between bites of her food. "What an arrogant human."

Delacroix snickered at her low muttering. He pretended like he didn't when she eyed him.

"I don't bring gifts but I do have good news for you. It won't be publicized but Victoria is openly chastising Twilight. Severely, at that." Relieved sighs went around the room. "It seems the damage they brought upon London while trying to shoot you down has incurred her wrath."

"Those attacks were crazy!" Impey exclaimed, pushing his goggles back up after they slid down from his excitable movements.

"Because of this, Twilight's activities will likely be restricted for some time."

"They were too eager for success and dug their own graves." Van Helsing grunted, relaxing into a lazy smirk. "I'm a bit embarrassed for my old workplace…but it's worked out to our advantage."

"Indeed. I'm sure they'll continue their operations but they'll certainly be more subtle about it." Sholmes nodded, imparting a warning with a piercing grin. "I don't know why Twilight is after you…just be on the lookout."

"That is indeed good news. Thank you for coming all the way here to tell us." Saint Germain offered up one of his cordial smiles.

"Never mind all that! How did you find out about this place?! I didn't leave any traces for you to find!" Lupin's temper reared its head again at the group's complacent attitude with the detective.

The ones acting in the right manner, unfriendly and distrustfully, were the vampires. Most likely that was due to them disregarding human matters.

Why was Lupin the only one treating this situation with caution? Had these people forgotten Sholmes was still their enemy?

"Is that so, Lupin? Then I must deduce that your housekeeping skills are subpar. You left traces everywhere." The detective spoke with genuine bafflement, adding to the thief's indignation.

"You little…"

"There, there, Lupin, don't be so rude." Saint Germain chided. "Mister…Sholmes was it? Since you've already made the trip here, why don't you come in and enjoy some of our party food? In exchange…please keep the location of our mansion under your hat."

"Oh? You think you can bribe the great detective Herlock Sholmes with food…" He narrowed his eyes at the count.

"Anyone can be bribed with food." Wilhelmina stated, pushing her cleaned plate out of the way.

"I can't believe she's been eating this whole time. My stomachs been in knots from anxiety." Impey gazed dumbly at the woman settling on her arms for a nap.

"It's a good thing that she's eating…even if she complains that it's not filling." Victor pushed his plate towards Wilhelmina. "Have mine if you want."

She lifted her head from her arms. "Really, Master Victor?"

"Yes, and just 'Victor' is fine."

"You really are my favorite human." The vampire grinned and went back to eating.

"Don't go spoiling my servant! Keep feeding her all this food and she'll be twice as lazy." Delacroix slammed his hands on the table.

This time the silverware's rattling would have spilled all the drinks and food were it not for Wilhelmina stabilizing the table with a firm grip.

Bickering ensued as the younger vampire hurled insults about his servant and the men defended her. Sholmes watched all this with a critical eye.

"You're a curious bunch. Don't mind if I do take up the offer." The detective accepted a cup of wine from the count and hovered near the new additions to the group of misfits. "Now that we're all acquainted, I think I'd like to come back once in a while to visit."

"Don't come back here! Hurry up and get out!" Lupin pointed straight at the door. He shot a betrayed look Impey's way. "Don't grab a chair for him!" Saint Germain was next for the thief's objections. "Don't offer him more wine!"

Cardia descended into a giggling fit after concluding her private conversation with Victor.

"Why are you two laughing?! This is not okay!"

"Oh, Lupin, you might as well give up and enjoy the party as you were before. It'd be incredibly rude to turn away Mister Sholmes now." Saint Germain smiled like one would with a misbehaving child.

Lupin bristled at being on the receiving end of it. He wasn't Delacroix.

And speak of the devil, the young vampire was laughing at the thief's misfortune.

"Even the great thief gets scolded. Serves you right after all the lecturing I've suffered through since coming here." The boy grinned wickedly.

Lupin took a deep breath to reign in his temper.

"Being lectured isn't a bad thing, Young Delacroix, it's how we grow and learn." He sat back down with a smug smile at the younger vampire's grudging recognition.

Sholmes would not ruin this evening for Lupin.

"Hmph. The lesson is lost on you with the frequent glares you keep sending to the end of the table." Delacroix retorted.

Sholmes snorted into his cup as more bickering started up.

"I miss being able to eat my meals in peace." The vampire slid her second plate off to the side.

"But meals like these are so much fun. I can't imagine going back to my old lifestyle." Cardia nudged more food towards Wilhelmina.

The girl was coming to understand that despite whining about being hungry all the time, Wilhelmina didn't do anything to fix. She would just sigh morosely and sleep off her growling stomach.

These tendencies struck Cardia as foolish.

Why did Wilhelmina sleep away her problems instead of solving them?

"Hmm, I was like that too when I first found myself surrounded by people." The vampire made sure Delacroix wasn't paying attention to her before adding more for Cardia's understanding. "I grew out of that mindset when my company turned out to be the negative sort. I learned to be lonely afterwards."

The girl's brightness dimmed, only to return tenfold. "You don't have to worry about that here. We're all friends"

"Friends? I haven't had friends…" The vampire lowered her fork.

Unconsciously her eyes travelled to Van Helsing.

What they had, could it have been considered friendship? Is that why he made her heart clench with every thought, every touch, and every spoken word?

Why did he confuse her?

"Well, I'd like to be friends. Victor told me there were things only girls could discuss. He didn't tell me what those things were though…" Cardia's voice wavered. "I want to find those things out. I want to know you, Will. Is that alright?"

Wilhelmina's breath hitched at the nostalgic flash she had of a younger, kinder Van Helsing expressing similar sentiments.

"F-Fine…I warn you, I'm not an exciting person. Ask Master Dracula."

Cardia beamed enough that the vampire's apathetic expression softened.

"What lovely girls live with criminals." Sholmes's smooth voice drew their attention. "Miss Cardia and I are acquainted but I am at a loss as to what your name is, Miss."

He analyzed Wilhelmina in earnest.

"I've heard you addressed as Tepes, Will, and Wilhelmina. I'm assuming Wilhelmina is your name, Will a nickname, and Tepes the surname. Am I correct?"

She squinted at him. "I can see why Master Lupin gets annoyed. Your intelligence is uncomfortably accurate."

What Sholmes had deduced would be an easy explanation for the two names Wilhelmina possessed.

Vampires didn't use surnames like humans. While the woman dwelled in a human infested city, she would have to start introducing herself as Wilhelmina Tepes to avoid confusion.

"This is a first…I've never had a woman be so upfront in her opinion." His confidence faltered.

"Did I offend you?"

"No, quite the opposite. I find myself intrigued, Miss Wilhelmina." Sholmes sat back in his chair, swirling his wine around. "You and Miss Cardia are mysteries I wish to solve. Ladies such as yourselves don't fit in with this crowd."

The vampire wanted to correct him but refrained from doing so. She and Delacroix did, in fact, not belong in a room full of humans.

"I don't think Lupin would like that…" Cardia closed her eyes, imaging the fits that would come along if the detective were to snoop around the mansion.

"No, he wouldn't." He chuckled. "I'm afraid I'm much too busy to do a thorough investigation. Such a shame."

"You wouldn't like what you'd find anyway." Wilhelmina was acutely aware of the man's connections to the royal guard.

She and the master didn't need the whole of Britain riled up in a vampire hunt.

"Oh, dear. That eerily felt like a threat." Sholmes displayed a twinge of dismay. "Was your earlier gaze one of dislike then? It looked like you were trying to eat me with those ruby eyes. Was my deduction wrong?"

A dark smile flitted across her face. "How astute. I was contemplating what kind of meal you'd make."

Cardia seized up at the admission since she knew the implications of the vampire's words. Sholmes coughed into his hand, having come to a different interpretation and slightly blushing from it.

"Very upfront, I see."

"Everyone present would taste good…except that hunter." More coughing came from Sholmes at Wilhelmina's casual musings.

"Stop saying things that can be taken the wrong way." Van Helsing chastised the vampire. "Control yourself, Wilhelmina."

She rubbed at her eyes, stamping down the arising thirst. "Bossing me around again, Abraham? You're really getting into the habit, aren't you?"

"More like saving you from your oblivious self. Don't you know how inappropriate you sound?"

"Are you upset that I said you'd taste bad?" She deflected snappishly.

Van Helsing rolled his eyes at the baiting grin. "Stop talking like that."

"Or what? Only Master can punish me."

His searing glare would have struck down a lesser person.

"Will, try this! I think you'll enjoy it." Cardia diffused the inferno building between the hunter and vampire by shoving a plate of desert into Wilhelmina's line of sight.

"Thank you, Cardia." She accepted the offering and retreated into her own world.

"Interesting scratches the surface. I would love to get to the bottom of all this." Sholmes twined his fingers together, internalizing everything he could about the gathered group.

Every one of them was a mystery begging to be solved.

Chapter Text

"Where else does it hurt, Will?"

She wordlessly pointed to her stomach and Cardia gave her a lopsided smile.

"We can get you something to eat after I finish patching you up."

"No, I meant that's where it hurts."

"Oh. Then you'll have to remove the dress."

Wilhelmina did so and Cardia gasped at the bruises marring the pale vampire's skin. The medical kit fell out her hands and bounced on the bed, spilling the contents.

"W-What? How did you get so hurt? Should I get Victor?!" Questions spewed from the bewildered girl and she felt out of her depth.

Her training covered basic first-aid. From the look of the area there could be something damaging going on the inside.

"Training with Master Dracula usually leaves me like this and no, this isn't serious enough for the doctor's attention." The vampire laid back, expectantly gazing at the other female. "Don't worry, just apply the ointment."

"W-Wilhelmina…this…I don't like this. Maybe you two should hold back in training. Van Helsing and I train together and he doesn't leave me injured like this." Cardia fidgeted, wishing that the artificial cuts she'd already treated had been the extent of Wilhelmina's injuries.

"Abraham is human. His strength doesn't measure up to vampires. Most likely, he holds back when fighting you." Wilhelmina's bland face twitched into an irritated pout. "Don't put the same expectations on vampires. We fight rough."

"S-Still, Delly should be more considerate. You do so much for him."

"Servants don't do their jobs for thanks. Master Dracula is free to do what he pleases with me." The blandness returned to her face.

"Wilhelmina…" Cardia averted her eyes, a lump formed in her throat but she didn't know how else to get her point across without crossing a line.

She didn't like how unconcerned the vampire was about her well-being. If Delacroix was hurting her, Wilhelmina should speak up.

Why didn't she care more about herself? This reminded Cardia of how empty she was in the beginning.

"Are you going to put the ointment on, or should I?" Wilhelmina had been waiting patiently in her undergarments for five minutes.

Staring at Cardia and admiring her prettiness and possible blood potency could only entertain the vampire for so long.

"S-Sorry, I'll do it!" The poison girl blushed and retrieved the fallen items.

It was silent as she tenderly dabbed the gel on Wilhelmina's porcelain skin.

"You don't have to worry, these will fade after I take a nap."

Cardia jumped at the sudden noise. "Will they? Does sleeping help you heal? Is that why you do it so often?"

"You're a very inquisitive human." She barely flinched at the prodding to her stomach despite how the gentle ministrations still caused her pain. "Sleeping does speed up my regenerative qualities and helps sate the thirst for a time. But mostly, I sleep because I enjoy it."

Cardia giggled at the last point.

The vampire's lips quirked upward. "Good. You're not making that tortured face. I saw that enough from him."

"From 'him'? Are you talking about Van Helsing?" The girl stilled her movements at the odd mixture of anger and amusement fighting for dominance on Wilhelmina's face. "He's the second person you talk the most about, so I assumed you were referring to him."

"Do I talk that much about him? Between Abraham and Master Dracula, I have a lot to complain about."

Cardia finished and motioned for the vampire to sit up for her to wrap the area. "Were you and Van Helsing...on friendly terms before?"

The question had been on everyone's mind but no one wanted to bring it up, reopening old wounds.

What kind of relationship did Van Helsing and Wilhelmina have before the Vampire Wars?

"It wasn't just me Abraham was close to. He was held in high regard by the royal family…particularly, Master Dracula." Wilhelmina sighed heavily, knowing Cardia was genuinely curious and not being malicious. "Naturally, since I was never far from the prince, I spent a lot of time with Abraham. He was very different then… I barely recognize him now…"

Cardia didn't know how to help the three tangled individuals overcome their pain. She just wanted them to be able to let go of it all and be happy.

Being haunted by the past was a terrible burden.

"Would it upset you if I said I hope you, Delly and Van Helsing can go back to being friends?" Her gloved hands clenched the bedsheets, waiting for a temper flare.

Wilhelmina paused in rolling down her chemise. "No, it wouldn't. That there is the problem."

"Why?"

"Master Dracula has the appropriate attitude towards the vampire hunter. I have to…periodically remind myself that he destroyed an entire coven." She fell back onto the bed, blankly staring at the canopy. "Master Dracula and I are an endangered species because of him."

"I'm sorry for bringing up painful memories." Cardia wanted to comfort the lost-looking vampire, but she was scared to reach out.

Her touch was poison.

She wasn't meant to be close to anyone. The gloves couldn't change that…

"Fret not, Cardia. I know your intention isn't to hurt me."

A familiar yell from the hallway had Wilhelmina at the door in an instant. Cardia blinked at the loss of weight on the bed.

"Thank you for your help."

"Will, wait!" Cardia protested but she'd already disappeared. "You're not wearing your dress…"

A knock sounded on her door and she called for them enter. Delacroix poked his head in.

"Have you seen Tepes? I caught her scent nearby."

Cardia smiled secretively, understanding that the vampire probably vanished to sleep off her injuries. He took her silence as a negative.

"That girl. I wanted to have tea." Delacroix crossed his arms, pouting moodily. "I was even going to let her join me…"

"Would you like to have tea with me instead?" The girl slid off her bed and approached him cautiously.

The young vampire debated the offer with a calculated frown at the poison carrier. "In here, not the dining room. I don't want to be bothered by the other loud-mouths."

She beamed. "I'll go get the tea. I'm sure Sisi would like to join, too!"

Realize

"Why do I find the same thing every time I return to my room?" Van Helsing rubbed his eyes aggressively.

His glasses were safe from his rage, innocuously sitting on the dresser.

Behind him, Wilhelmina was half-dressed and tangled in the bed sheets. Far gone into dreamland and unaware of the brooding man struggling to ignore his more primal urges.

He stole an involuntary glance backward and felt his breath escape him. The painful pounding in his chest increased.

"Why…why are you here?"

Wilhelmina rolled closer to him, mumbling about talking apples. Van Helsing leapt away when her leg brushed his back, sending a shiver up his spine.

"Some things never change…" The gunman put his glasses back on and fixed the comforter so that it covered all the flesh on display.

His hand hovered shakily by Wilhelmina's cheek.

How easy it was to fall back into old habits with her.

How easy it was for him to…pretend like he wasn't a murder, that he hadn't betrayed her, hurt the vampire deep enough for her to return to the shell of indifference.

No.

Van Helsing drew his hand from her moonlight skin. "Things will never be like before."

The vampire hunter settled at his work station, dislodging his shotguns and beginning the process of maintenance. Getting lost in the guns would keep his thoughts from the past.

The sound of snores and clinking metal continued until Wilhelmina finally awoke. Her glazed eyes bore holes into Van Helsing.

"Why do you keep sneaking into my room?" He said with all the previous frustration coming out.

The vampire blinked so slowly he wondered if she would collapse back into a dead heap.

"This is the last place Master Dracula would look."

The irritation slipped at the simple logic. "That's…actually clever…"

"How long was I asleep?" She crawled to the edge of the bed.

"Three hours. It won't be long before Impey is running down the halls, shouting for everyone to come to lunch."

"Hmm, I feel so rested. This is what it's like to have an uninterrupted nap." Wilhelmina lifted her chemise and pulled at the bandages.

"What're you doing?!" Van Helsing choked, dropping his cleaning supplies and heating up at the scandalous sight of the milky skin beneath.

"Checking my injuries."

Like she told Cardia, sleep combined with the ointment healed the bruises. Wilhelmina was back in good form, or at least, the best she could be on her blood-deficient diet.

The less she fed, the weaker she became.

Delacroix's hits shouldn't have hurt her as bad as they did, but without blood she was practically human.

How irritating.

"When's the last time you had blood?" The gunman focused on her tossing the bandages on his dresser and not her flesh, definitively not her undergarment…

"The night we stole the pendant…those guards tasted awful. I didn't take more than samples."

"I'll have to speak to Victor. Your lethargic condition is getting out of hand. You can't be hibernating over little hits."

"It'd be simpler if I could just bite one of you since you're all against me hunting humans." Wilhelmina chewed her lip, eyes shifting to a bright ruby. "Lupin is my top pick. Victor's a close second. Impey and Saint Germain…I'm not sure about. Maybe…"

Van Helsing's fist clenched, a thick rage boiling in his chest from the wanton comment. His glare was solely for the vampire.

"Don't even think about sinking your fangs into them."

She pouted peevishly.

"Fine, starve me then." A mocking smile took over her lips. "Unless, you'd like to offer yourself up to keep me from biting them."

In the time it took him to move his eyes from the dresser to the bed, Wilhelmina seated herself in front of him.

"I think offering up your blood would be fair compensation, Abraham. You owe me more than you'll be able to repay…"

"W-Wilhelmina!" His back hit the arm of the couch as he retreated from her glowing eyes, protruding fangs, and hypnotic presence.

"I'll even be gentle when I nip you. I've heard a vampire's bite feels good for both involved." She drowned in bloodlust, words tumbling out her mouth and body climbing on top of her prey. "Won't you let me bite you, Abraham?"

Tingles erupted all over Van Helsing as the vampire settled in his lap. Her hands tugged at his collar, her breath fanned his neck, and her upper body molded against his chest.

"W-Wilhel-mina!" He couldn't manage more than her name with so many sensations flooding him from all over.

It was taking every ounce of his control to not dig his fingers into her waist and slam her down on the most affected area.

"Don't resist it…" Wilhelmina's lips ghosted along the gunman's throat, tongue flicking out and strolling upward in a slow arch.

He exhaled brokenly.

"Good boy…"

The slight pressure of a fang penetrating his skin snapped Van Helsing out of his own lust-filled haze. He shoved her off before they crossed a line.

Wilhelmina landed in an undignified heap, eyes returning to their original color.

The two panted from the release of their trance.

"D-Don't do that…a-again…" Van Helsing groaned at how hoarse he sounded.

"I don't know if I can adhere to that…" She curled into her odd posture of kneeling with her arms wrapped around her legs and chin tucked into her knees. "I've never…gotten so lost in it before…"

The gunman twitched, abruptly turning his back to her. He buttoned his coat up to cover the evidence of his loss of control.

"I was so close to biting you…"

His fingers touched the spot, finding the area still wet from her tongue. He almost let her, too…

"Are you mad, Abraham?"

"…"

"You're mad."

"I'm not mad. I'm thinking of a solution to this problem. We can't have a bloodthirsty vampire running around." Van Helsing muttered, mind latching onto anything else to center his thoughts and quell the heat consuming him. "For now, put your clothes on and I'll make you something. I'll think more on this while I'm doing that."

It wouldn't be smart to leave her in this condition. What if she bit someone else?

"I'm done."

He faced her, snatching up the ends of her hair and lightly tugging. "Do I have to keep repeating myself?"

Wilhelmina sighed dramatically. "You fix it if it bothers you so much."

Van Helsing didn't have an assortment of feminine products, so he combed through the messy nest with his fingers instead of using his brush and getting their hair mingled together in it.

Once done, he steered the vampire to the kitchen. Impey was already inside, cooking up a new dish.

He smiled at the new arrivals. "What's up, Will? Here to help me cook? I love having a cute girl in the kitchen with me."

On top of that, Wilhelmina could cook like a pro and her dishes combined with his would blow everyone's taste buds right out the window.

"I was going to make something for her." Van Helsing stepped forward while the vampire slumped into a chair to relax.

"What?! No, you don't!" Impey paled. "If my Moon Goddess is hungry, then I'll prepare something. Just sit back and relax, Van Helsing!"

The gunman crossed his arms, bewildered by the red-head's persistence on keeping him from accessing the cabinets, stove, and any food. "At least let me help."

"No! Take a load off and let me shine, my man!" The engineer crossed his arms into a big "x" and continued blocking Van Helsing's movements.

"Fine. Make sure she eats." The gunman left without another word.

Impey scratched his head.

"I feel bad…but tough choices have to be made in the name of love." He grinned at Wilhelmina. "I saved you from a traumatic experience, Will."

"I've tasted Abraham's cooking before." She shared nonchalantly.

"And you were going to eat it again?! Are you nuts?!"

"No. I've had much worse."

The scraps she consumed as a child could hardly count as food, but they soothed the gnawing pain of hunger she experienced while traveling to meet her father.

During that ugly period, an abandoned child didn't have much room to complain when food presented itself to her. Trash, leftovers, or burnt food was consumed without a second thought.

Ugh, Wilhelmina hated the feeling of hunger.

"Just imagining something worse than his monstrous cooking is making me depressed." Impey sprung back to his cheery mood, patting Wilhelmina's head after sensing her dwindling mood. "Don't worry, baby. The Great Impey Barbicane will make sure you never have to eat such garbage again."

She pointed at the stove. "The food is burning."

"Noooooo!"

The flustered engineer fought against the rising flames.

Realize

"Pardon me for asking, but is sunlight harmful in any way to vampires? I find myself curious as to why your species has a nocturnal schedule." Saint Germain gingerly guided Wilhelmina through the crowded streets of London.

He had taken it upon himself to loop their arms together to stabilize the wobbly woman and to ensure she didn't get separated from the group due to her habit of dozing off.

The vampire blinked, propping her parasol back on her shoulder to block out the sun. "It's hard on our eyesight…and in my case, I get sunburn easily. It's not life-threatening if that's what you're asking."

"That explains your parasol, it wouldn't be useful at night." He saved Wilhelmina from tripping over her feet. "Careful, my dear. It'd be a shame to tarnish your lovely face."

"Why did you bring me, Master Ger-"

He hummed negatively before she could finish her sentence. "Ah, ah, Miss Wilhelmina. You may not address me as Master."

The vampire came to a stop and pouted at the smiling count.

"Then how should I address you? Is Saint your name or a title?"

"It's more of a title than a name. Feel free to call me San like the others or Germain if you like. Just no calling me, Master." He chuckled, smile slipping into something impish. "I don't think I could handle it."

"San…Germain. Germain…San…" Wilhelmina toyed with the choices out loud. "It all sounds strange…everything about you is strange."

The count stopped smiling and adopted a mildly hurt look. "You…find me strange?"

Wilhelmina was prevented from answering by Delacroix barreling into her and gushing about the candy store Cardia and Victor had shown him.

"Look at this! It melts in your mouth, Tepes!" He presented a ball of pink fluff to his servant. "Try it!"

"It does? How can that be?" She obediently took a piece and popped it in her mouth.

The burst of sweetness elicited a bright-eyes expression from the normally stoic vampire.

"It melted in my mouth!"

"It's so good, right?! Who knew humans could make something so delicious?!" The little vampire bounced boisterously in place, passing the pink fluff to Wilhelmina and keeping the blue for himself.

"D-Delly! Th-There you are. Don't go running off!" Victor nearly keeled over from how out of breath he was.

Cardia appeared next, looking completely at ease despite sprinting after a vampire. She hesitantly reached for the doctor.

"Are you okay, Victor" The girl patted his back softly in response to his coughing.

"I-I'll be fine…j-just give me a minute."

"I don't take orders from humans. Your present state is your own fault." Delacroix imperiously turned up his nose, feeling little sympathy as he indulged in more candy.

Saint Germain was too busy laughing into his palm to provide a stern reprimand. Wilhelmina was used to the snotty behavior and said nothing.

Cardia ended up being the one to correct the boy.

"That's not nice, Delly, especially since Victor bought all that candy for you." She frowned, gesturing to the bag Delacroix clenched to his chest.

"I didn't ask him to. And he's the one who dragged me into the store!"

"Even so, you shouldn't be mean to Victor." Her frown became sad, tugging at the boy's resistance. "We were worried when you disappeared. Victor ran all around the store, asking if anybody saw you."

Delacroix didn't respond.

The doctor finally caught his breath and laughed off the predicament. "It's okay, Cardia. Kids do things like this. All that matters is that Delly's safe and happy for once."

His warm smile made the younger vampire sputter. "I-I am not a child. Stop laughing and petting my head!"

He ignored Delacroix's whining. "That store has good candy, right? I'm not surprised you wanted to share it with Will."

"Ah, Victor, you might be treating teeth next with all the sweets you bought." Saint Germain eyed the additional bags in Cardia's arms with trepidation.

"Oh, that's for everyone. Would you like one, San?"

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline. I never had much of a sweet tooth." The count's uncomfortable smile deepened as the women and boy shared the treats with equal enthusiasm.

"I should have figured. You shy away from desert, which makes no sense. Unless Van Helsing cooks it."

The two shared a shiver, aghast at their encounter with the Human Weapon's unique blend of culinary skills.

"Are we prepared to move onto the main objective of this outing?" Saint Germain recovered first, flashing his cryptic grin.

"What objective do you speak of? You neglected to tell me why you required Tepes and myself." Delacroix glowered suspiciously.

"The three of you are in need of clothing."

The vampires scrunched up their faces in confusion.

"We have clothes at the castle. If we need more, Tepes can retrieve them."

Wilhelmina disliked the effort it took to reach the castle, but she would make the trip if ordered. "Yes, it's much shorter for a vampire to get to and from."

The count tutted at them. "That won't do at all. Miss Wilhelmina shouldn't be making that kind of trip by herself for something I can easily supply."

Cardia inserted herself into the conversation at the lull. "What about me? I can only wear certain things. There's no point taking me shopping."

Saint Germain tutted again. "Anything you find can be modified by our dear doctor. As a lady, you should have more options to choose from."

"Don't worry, Cardia. It's no trouble for me to poison-proof some more things for you." Victor added at the girl's uncertainty.

"Now that I've won my case, lets head to a favorite boutique of mine." The count held out his arm once more for Wilhelmina.

She wordlessly took it and followed.

"Who does he think he is? Escorting my Tepes like that?!" Delacroix fumed, crunching harshly on the candy in his mouth.

"Don't be upset, Delly. San's being a gentleman. Were Lupin or Impey here, they'd do the same." Victor chuckled. "Impey would get shot down though."

"None of you have the right to escort her without my permission! And I'd never give it to humans." The young boy stomped after the pair, angrily eating more candy from his bag of sweets.

"It's hard to discipline him when his tantrums are so adorable. The conundrum." The doctor stopped walking when Cardia fell behind and he called for her.

"Is it normal for men to escort women through the city like that?" She looked at the other groups of citizens and found them walking together like Saint Germain and Wilhelmina.

"It's a pretty common occurrence." Victor answered, wondering where the conversation was going and the meaning behind Cardia's perplexed observing.

"Is something wrong with me then?"

"W-What're you talking about?" His glasses nearly fell off from him turning his head so fast.

"You didn't offer to escort me, Victor." Cardia's dejected frown and wounded statement was a double punch to the gut for the doctor.

"N-Not because I didn't want to!" He blurted out swiftly to remove that hurt look from someone already suffering enough. Victor pushed up his glasses in a nervous flutter. "I'm not like Lupin or Saint Germain…heck, even Impey. I can't just…"

"Victor?" Cardia lightly tugged on his sleeve. "Your face is all red. Are you getting sick?"

"No! I'm fine." He fumbled some more with his glasses and took a deep breath before holding out his trembling arm. "Would you like me to escort you, Cardia?"

She beamed prettily and slid her arm along his. Victor felt his temperature skyrocket from the contact.

Even with clothes impeding their skin from touching, he could feel his skin heating from their closeness.

The trip to the boutique didn't take long. Upon arrival, the odd group wandered throughout the store for clothing.

It didn't take much convincing from Saint Germain for Wilhelmina to go crazy. She picked up everything that caught her eye.

Delacroix stubbornly refused to choose anything for himself, opting to add things he liked to the pile for his servant. Cardia proved the most challenging since she didn't have a sense of what she liked.

Somehow shopping for three turned into shopping for one.

Everyone pitched in to pick their favorite choices for Wilhelmina to try on. For the next two hours she became a doll for them to play dress up with.

The vampire uttered no protest to this arrangement.

"You all have no taste. Tepes clearly looks best in the dress I picked!" Delacroix held up a black and red ensemble fit for Queen Victoria herself.

"That's way too fancy. Where would she wear that? A ball?" Victor lifted a more practical, simple, white and green dress. "This is pretty and can be worn most anywhere."

Saint Germain joined in by laying his selection over Wilhelmina's body, giving the illusion of her wearing it. "I must disagree. Violet looks best on a dark beauty such as Miss Wilhelmina."

"No!" Delacroix and Victor objected at the same time.

"I don't want her matching you and Van Helsing. Absolutely not!" The young vampire added.

"I see. She must match you instead, Young Delacroix?" The count pandered to the boy, stepping back to let him drape the black and red dress over Wilhelmina.

His lack of height prevented him from achieving the same effect Saint Germain went for. The woman had to bend down for it work, but it still didn't get the same results.

"Of course! A master and servant must be of one accord."

The albino stepped back, nearer to the doctor, whispering. "I'm tempted to bow out since she does look exquisite…and they make an adorable, matching pair."

"I can understand. I suddenly don't feel like competing anymore." Victor lowered the dress and suddenly remembered about the last participant. "Cardia!"

"Yes, Victor?" She tilted her head at him jumping in place and whipping around to face her.

"I forgot you were here for a second. Why are you off in the corner like that?"

Cardia averted her eyes.

She sequestered herself off to the side to watch Wilhelmina try on dresses after the boys started up their competition.

"I…couldn't pick anything. You all managed to choose nice things for Will and she looked happy trying them on…" The girl sagged in her seat, frustrated with herself for acting unreasonable.

"Oh, Cardia. Just because you couldn't pick something doesn't mean Will's going to like you less. " Victor smiled gently, muttering more to himself. "First time I've seen her jealous and an irregular instance of it nonetheless..."

The poisonous girl's dour mood lifted at the affectionate smile and reassurance.

"She probably likes you best out of the rest of us, judging by all the sniffing and smiling I see her doing when you're nearby." He laughed weakly. "I hope Will isn't thinking about eating you."

"No, she told me I'm the one person she doesn't want to bite." Cardia's frown neutralized to blankness. "After the poison is removed, she'll reconsider."

Victor flailed in embarrassment. "What kind of conversations do you two have?! This isn't what I meant when I said you needed a girl to talk to!"

"Are you still arguing your case? The competition's over." Wilhelmina's voice made the doctor leap into the air and wail about heart attacks. "Saint Germain decided to buy everything."

"Everything?! Just one of those dresses cost a fortune!" Victor frantically looked around, searching for the one he had been holding. "When did he even grab mine?!"

"When you were talking to Cardia." She answered. "What an oblivious human you are, Master Victor."

"I'm not oblivious. Saint Germain is sneaky!" The doctor deflated more and more. "How didn't I notice him?"

Wilhelmina brushed off the man's mini-meltdown, addressing Cardia next. "Nothing caught your eye?"

"No…" The depression re-appeared.

"This place is perfect for a princess-type like you. We'll have to try another store some other day. You shouldn't turn away a man that wants to spoil you, they're so rare."

"Spoil…me?" The girl repeated, surprised by the gleam in Wilhelmina's eyes.

"Yes. A doll like you is sure to be catered to by all walks of men." Wilhelmina's smirk turned derisive. "Frankly, I'm wondering if I'm asleep right now. It should be you and not me getting pampered."

Cardia rose from her seat, moving closer to Wilhelmina.

"Why do you think that?"

The vampire was quiet for a moment, then her face expressed nothing. "Lowly servants don't deserve these kinds of gifts. When our coven still existed, I could only dream of moments like this."

The girl closed the distance, brushing her gloved hand against Wilhelmina's arm. Garnet eyes became transfixed on the point of contact.

Cardia hadn't initiated contact with her before.

"I never had things to call my own so I shouldn't be materialistic…but for some reason, I covet things anyway…" The vampire slowly returned the tentative action with a pat on Cardia's hand.

"I've never had things either. But like you said, we should change that." The poison girl smiled brightly. "Lets go shopping again."

"We'll have to save that for another day. It's time we return to the mansion." Saint Germain strolled over to the ladies.

Delacroix raced past the man to take Wilhelmina's hand in a crushing grip. He snarled at the albino.

"I shall not bestow thanks on you, human. You chose to buy all those outfits despite my reservations."

"It truly was no trouble. I could've bought the entire store for her without a care." The count's lips thinned. "I am disappointed to not have purchased something for Cardia and yourself, but all in due time I suppose."

"I told you, I don't need anything from here. The clothing from my castle are the only things fit for a king."

"Such a difficult child." Saint Germain sighed good-naturedly.

Delacroix huffed and tugged Wilhelmina out the store.

"Very difficult. He's gone and stolen my companion. A gentleman should a have a beautiful lady on his arm when it's a nice day like this." He smiled charmingly, holding his arm out for Cardia. "Would you mind humoring an old man?"

"Old man? No one would think that about you, San." Victor watched the count and Cardia with the tiniest bit of envy.

He'd almost combusted from the effort of asking, let alone escorting the girl. Saint Germain made it look so effortless.

"Looks can be deceiving, Dear Victor."

Wilhelmina inwardly sighed at the numbness radiating from her hand. She would experience worse pain after Delacroix reached maturity and his strength outpaced hers.

Maybe she should start speaking up like the others kept saying. When she thought about doing it, it didn't feel right…

No.

Whining was as far as Wilhelmina was willing to push her luck. A servant had no place complaining to their master.

"Tepes!"

"Yes, Master Dracula?" She gazed at the sulking boy.

"Did you hear me?"

"No."

He growled and tightened his hold on her hand. "You are not to wear those dresses for anyone but me. I'm your master and only I have the right to look upon you in splendor."

Wilhelmina closed her eyes, tuning out the pain.

"That defeats the purpose of the clothes. They're meant to be worn and seen. I can't stay locked in your room all day."

"Would that be so bad?" His innocent inquiry barely chipped at her indifference. "We could have tea and cakes, read stories, play with Sisi, and we could even stage battles like before."

Delacroix grinned, head filling with memories.

"Tepes, The Impaler and Dracula, The King of the Vampires. None would oppose us!"

"We…haven't played games since…" Wilhelmina mumbled, unable to crush her master's rare bout of cheer.

"I know hide and seek is your favorite because by the time I found you, you'd taken a nap. How are you so good at hiding your scent?"

"I don't hide it, I cover it up."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't say anymore, Master Dracula. That would ruin the game."

Not to mention make it easier for him to bother her during nap time.

So far, her hiding spot in Van Helsing's room was perfect. Never would the boy step foot in his room of gunpowder and lemons.

"True. I'll have to sharpen my senses." Delacroix's pout curved upwards. "Now that I don't have to hunt down heirlooms, we've got plenty of time to train and play. That Lupin fellow saved me a great deal of time."

"Are you grateful to a human, Master?" Wilhelmina's brows rose.

"No, perish the thought! They're all detestable!"

"Even Victor? He bought the candy. And he's promised to get us blood…" She sported a dopey look at the thought of real sustenance. "I think he's my favorite."

The boy hummed thoughtfully. "Those…are good points. I could be persuaded to acknowledge the doctor as a useful human."

"If he keeps his word, you won't have to drink from me."

At the lack of response, Wilhelmina called for her master. When that failed to break his quiet glower, she swung their linked hands.

"You are a stupid, useless servant." Delacroix tore his hand away and strutted off in an angry flurry.

"Master Dracula?"

"Don't follow me, Tepes!"

She stood, bewildered by the boy's mercurial mood. "How did I offend him?"

Droplets of blood peaked out from where Delacroix's nails scratched her hand.

Realize

"What's up, Delly? You going to start joining our meals now?"

Wilhelmina glanced up from her plate at Lupin's teasing lilt.

Delacroix hovered by the door, glaring at everyone. "Stop calling me that! I had no choice in the matter, as Sisi was quite insistent."

"Meals are always more enjoyable with a bigger group. I welcome you to the table as well." Saint Germain added after Victor and Impey's happy exclamations.

"I…I change my mind. I'm eating my room." He blushed under all the attention.

"Stay here and eat." Van Helsing said before the boy could retreat. "If you want to keep an eye on me so I don't escape, isn't it better if we were to eat together?"

"Don't presume to tell me what to do."

"C'mon guys, chill out." Impey burst out of his seat to pick Delacroix up and deposit him in the chair next to Wilhelmina. "Sit right here. I cook meals so they taste great when we all eat together as a group."

"How did you do that so fast?" The vampire bore holes into the grinning red-head.

"Haha, because I'm that awesome, Gorgeous."

"Never mind. I imagined that feat of speed."

"Don't be so quick to doubt me, Will!"

"Let's enjoy our meal." Saint Germain announced before Impey could cry up a river.

Forks hitting plates consumed the atmosphere. One fork hit its target much faster than the others.

"Hmph. Human food! It's so mediocre!" Delacroix complained endlessly between bites.

"You're being rude to the cook." Cardia defended Impey.

He huffed childishly, almost spitting out food in the process.

"It's fine. I can tell how Delly feels about the food by the way he's scarfing it down." The engineer giggled mischievously. "I must be truly amazing if he's eating with such gusto. He's used to Will's cooking and hers is nothing to scoff at."

"When did you get the chance to eat the cooking of a fair maiden?" Lupin snorted. "No need to tell tales, Impey."

"Hey, I'm telling the truth! Why's it so had to believe a girl would cook for me?!"

"Because this girl happens to run when you enter a room."

"Lupin, you bastard! You're killing me." The engineer dropped his head on the table and cried.

"Language. There is a child present."

"I felt like apologizing for being disrespectful, but this pitiful display is eliminating the desire." Delacroix twitched at the man-child's wails.

"I'm glad you like it." Impey bounced right back with a smile, throwing thumbs-up at the vampire and the gunman. "Good thing, huh, Van Helsing, Will? You two were the ones most worried."

The jubilant gesture was ignored by Van Helsing. The red-head attempted the dramatic thumbs-up again and got silence for a second time.

"He's pretending not to hear you." Saint Germain spelled out for the engineer still holding his ridiculous pose.

"Will?" Impey valiantly threw out a final attempt, eager grin contrasting the defeated air enveloping him.

"Master Dracula will do as he pleases…" Life seemed to escape Impey at her brush off. "But I am relieved that he'll be eating fresh meals now. There's no telling how long he lets the food sit there… Master shouldn't be eating spoiled food."

She'd been concerned about the brat since they got back from shopping. He'd ignored her and refused her entry to his room.

Delacroix blushed and Impey swooned.

"So caring! I wish I had a pretty girl to look after me and call me Master Impey."

"I'd rescue that poor girl in a heartbeat." Lupin shook his head for the fictitious girl.

"I don't want to hear anymore from you, traitor!"

"No girl should suffer that. I'm glad Will never had a problem addressing you by name, Impey." Victor supplied another verbal hit.

"Et tu, Victor?"

"My first order upon settling here was that Tepes was never to address Impey 'master'. He shames the very word." Delacroix said, shivering in distaste at the fuss the man-child would've caused if his servant addressed him respectfully.

"Cardia is the only one for me. The rest of you suck." Impey went back to crying.

"Can I get through one meal without the moronic behavior?" Van Helsing threw down his newspaper, done with trying to lose himself in the words when one idiot made it an impossible endeavor.

Dinner proceeded with more shenanigans and chatter until everyone dispersed for the night.

Wilhelmina ventured to the balcony overlooking the garden. As a nocturnal creature by heart, going to bed at the same time as the others was difficult.

The moon shined brightly and all was quiet in the garden.

She climbed on the railing, gazing at the white wonder and recalling how a similar moon blazed red on the night of the attack. Waking up to a blood moon was all the vampire remembered, everything else escaped her.

"Why can't I remember?" Wilhelmina growled, lifting her hand to trace the scar extending from her neck all the way to her lower back.

The high collars she wore hid the deformation and the vampire could pretend that it and the occasional twinges of pain didn't exist.

The scar was proof that she hadn't come out of the night unscathed. In fact, such a wound should have killed her, but she woke with the taste of blood on her tongue and the cut slowly healing. From there, she wandered the forest in a daze until stumbling upon Delacroix.

"What can't you remember?" Lupin said softly to not frighten the vampire and send her off the balcony.

"The night Master Dracula and I became the remaining members of the coven." She answered automatically.

"Forgive me for saying so, Will…" The thief leaned on the railing, treading carefully with the subject at hand. "Is ignorance such a bad thing in that matter? Delly is making progress, but he's still traumatized by the past. It's an injustice that a child so young had to suffer…"

He stopped himself at her exhale.

"Your point has merit…I'm not haunted. I don't have nightmares. I'm not suffering…" She babbled, rubbing at the scar from the feeling of it flaring up again. "I'm empty…"

"No, no, no. My words weren't meant to sadden you, Will. Please don't mar that pretty face with sadness." Lupin laid his hand on her back and then drew it back as if burned. "W-Will! Your skin is ice cold and why aren't you dressed properly?!"

"Ah, you're making the same flustered expression as Abraham and Victor." Wilhelmina shrugged indifferently, causing her strap to slip off her shoulder.

Lupin coughed uncomfortably from his eyes trained on the motion and therefore stuck on the delicate skin.

The vampire felt she'd conceded enough to the gunman's complaints. A longer nightgown passed as her sleepwear now, instead of the short chemises.

"They've seen you indecent like this?! If I'd kept my jacket on, I could've loaned it to you." The thief moved his eyesight from her exposed skin to her face. "Wilhelmina, you can't walk around the mansion like this. We may be gentlemen and you needn't worry, but there is still a level of decorum that should be followed."

"…"

"A lady, especially one as striking as you, shouldn't be traipsing around in her undergarments. It's highly inappropriate!"

"…"

"Are you listening to me?"

"No." Wilhelmina bluntly replied.

Lupin faltered at her rudeness.

"I'm not in my knickers, there shouldn't be a problem. Such squeamish humans."

He went scarlet.

"Are you telling me this behavior was common among vampires?! I was under the impression they were even more traditional than the most stalwart conservatives."

"You're right, vampire mindset is very traditional. I'd never behave so frivolously in a coven."

"Then why are you doing it now?!"

"Two years of living in an empty home has created habits that I can't shake. Master Dracula didn't care, so neither did I." Wilhelmina twiddled with her hair. "He has started blushing like you all do when I tuck him in for bed…I wonder if my state of dress is bothering him? But why now?"

"That's an issue for another time." Lupin shook his head.

How had child-rearing become a responsibility of his?

"Back to the main issue." He sent her a pleading look. "Please, Wilhelmina. For my sake, will you dress a little warmer? Propriety aside, your skin is frigid."

She pouted. "First Abraham, then Victor, now you. Bossy prudes."

"Is that a yes?"

"Will a shawl ease your worries, Master Lupin?" She drawled excessively.

"A robe." He gave her an equally unimpressed frown. "I expect less cheek from you, Mademoiselle. The Great Arsene Lupin isn't afraid to punish you."

"You, punish me? A kitten would be more lethal." Wilhelmina giggled mockingly.

"Don't poke the bear, Will. You might not like what happens." Lupin half-warned, half-joked.

"Hmm, I suppose you could cane me…that might hurt enough to get my attention." The vampire's head tilted back to appraise the thief. "You look like the type…my assessment of your leniency might've been wrong."

Her devious smirk enflamed Lupin's cheeks and heat washed over him.

"Forget what I said! This conversation has taken a turn no upstanding gentleman should follow. I'll be taking my leave!" He backtracked as fast as possible.

"Goodnight, Master Lupin." She cooed to his retreating back.

The man stood ramrod straight for a minute, the tips of his ears gaining a red hue.

He turned and gave her a courteous bow. "Good night, Lady Wilhelmina. Take the important parts of our conversation to heart."

She nodded. Lupin's secret desire to cane her would be remembered.

The thief knew where her thoughts went from the wicked grin, but he wasn't opening that can of worms.

A final sigh and he made his exit.

"Three humans to give me pain. Master Dracula won't be the only one I complain about."

Van Helsing's manhandling hurt her. Victor's needles and burning disinfectants hurt her. Now, Lupin's golden cane would be added to the mix.

Three different methods to make the empty woman experience the thing she was most familiar with. Physical pain had been her companion since childhood.

Wilhelmina was numb to emotional pain. Van Helsing's betrayal burned out what little positive feelings existed within her.

A yell snapped the vampire out of her musings.

Cardia had come outside to practice defensive moves.

Wilhelmina cackled at the girl attacking nonexistent foes. The poisonous touch might be dangerous, but the vampire doubted the kind girl could take out another person.

The intensive training hit an interesting point when Victor arrived to speak to Cardia and ended up on his back from her flipping him in shock. Wilhelmina stared uncomprehendingly at the two.

How did tiny, little Cardia flip a grown man, not to mention, one that carried equipment in his pockets, like it was nothing?

"I'm going to bed." She decided in lieu of solving the mystery.

The doctor and girl could discuss the Horologium in peace, Wilhelmina had little interest in the item beside its aesthetic beauty.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

"Why did I have to come with you?" Wilhelmina scampered after the gunman striding onward in a swift pace, weaving in and out of other humans present on the busy street.

The toe of her heel got caught in a crack on the sidewalk, causing the vampire to fall forward. Strong arms intercepted her and she inhaled a whiff of freshly-cleaned clothes, nearly lulled into an abrupt sleep from how comfortable Wilhelmina felt in the embrace.

How nice.

"Don't fall asleep in my arms! We're in the middle of a public street!" Van Helsing whispered heatedly.

His complaint was entirely disregarded and the woman slumped in his hold, gone from reality.

People ogled them and gossiped, prompting the hunter to blush and curse Wilhelmina. He bent down to recover the dropped parasol, mindful not to drop his other pending dead weight. Looping his arms under her legs and arms to transport the dreamer proved easy with how light she was.

Van Helsing was incredibly grateful the vampire wore a simpler dress than usual to accompany him to the city. If she'd been wearing a multi-tiered style outfit, this endeavor would've been far more difficult.

"I swear, you do this on purpose." The gunman grumbled, grinding his teeth for all the gawking he received while conveying an unconscious woman to the nearest bench.

The worst of it came in the arrival of policemen interrogating Van Helsing.

Lying that they were husband and wife and how said wife had a terribly frail constitution —believable from Wilhelmina's deathly white skin and grey bags under her eyes— and he had to let her rest a moment, was the only way to stop the officers from pressing charges for a potential kidnapping.

Van Helsing collapsed on the bench, hanging his head back in exhaustion.

"I came to post the flyer for bodyguard jobs and this happens." He took his glasses off, rubbing at his eyes. "Unbelievable."

To demonstrate that things could go even more in the direction of unbelievable, Wilhelmina pitched to the side, bumping into the hunter's side and making him tense. He lifted his head, gaping at the image of the vampire laying against him.

His heart thudded faster.

"Abraham…apples…" She murmured, drooling somewhat on his sleeve.

Now his heart raced.

"Is it good or bad that you dream of the old me?" Van Helsing put his glasses back on, relaxing on the bench with Wilhelmina snuggling closer to him.

He sat there for a while, observing the going-ons of the city and listening to a vampire's dream-induced ramblings.

The fact that Wilhelmina dreamed so often of him both elated and dismayed Van Helsing. The former because it meant that somewhere in her heart, Wilhelmina still held a soft spot for him. The latter because it didn't change a thing about their circumstances and inability to be together.

"A vampire hunter can't have anything to do with a vampire. Particularly not the Human Weapon."

Theirs was a doomed relationship.

She stirred, eyes fluttering open. "Where am I?"

"You're on a bench in London."

Wilhelmina sprung off the gunman, studying him until the answer finally clicked in her mind. "That's right! You kidnapped me."

Ticked by what happened earlier, Van Helsing snapped out. "Don't say that! I brought you along to get you out of the lazy funk you've been in."

"So, you took me out the house against my will?"

"I did not."

"You did."

Van Helsing stood up, thrusting the parasol in the owner's face. "We're leaving."

Wilhelmina groaned, dutifully rising and trailing after the man because if she didn't, he'd drag her to the destination.

"Where are we going?"

"I already told you that. If you can't be bothered to listen, then I'm not going to repeat myself."

She didn't care enough to pry anyway and settled for quietly trekking behind the hunter.

"Stop that, would you? Just walk beside me." He tugged her forward.

"Don't trust me? Afraid I'll stab you in the back?"

Van Helsing stopped abruptly, glaring at the vampire.

"Slow down then. It's hard to keep up with your strides in heels."

He resumed his walk at a slower pace, allowing Wilhelmina to walk beside him.

Finally, they arrived at the destination and the gunman posted his flyer on the bulletin board. The members of the underbelly were sure to see this and come begging for protection from the latest hit, especially with the Black Gathering right around the corner.

His part in gathering funds would be done and over well before the race.

"You made me come outside to put up a piece of paper? You waste my time more than Master Dracula." Wilhelmina droned, abundant displeasure in her expression. "I didn't think that was possible."

Van Helsing was so tempted to send her home without the reward of their second objective. The soft memory of a hopeful smile and a promise made him stay the course.

"I guess if you're that unhappy, you wouldn't want to get lunch, huh?" He crossed his arms, adopting a thoughtful air. "Want me to arrange a cab to take you back?"

Wilhelmina went still, analyzing Van Helsing for a long minute. "Treating me would be proper repayment for inconveniencing me with your errand."

The gunman sighed. "Why are you two so alike?"

She spoke high-handed like Delacroix, despite not being royalty. Well…no, he had to correct himself.

Technically, the woman was of high rank through her father, an esteemed advisor and knight to the late vampire king and a pureblood of the nobility. It was the status of her mother that tarnished Wilhelmina's pedigree in the eyes of the other coven members.

Her haughty mannerisms weren't unfounded but they only manifested so strongly from being around a bratty kid for too long. She didn't act like this before.

"This is different." Wilhelmina closed her parasol, wincing from the sun's glare.

The establishment looked a lot finer on the outside than any of the old places Van Helsing brought her. The food had to be a step above too!

"Quit drooling. We haven't even gone in yet." Van Helsing teased, secretly proud for how excited she appeared from the prospect of fine dining.

"We're really going inside?"

"Yes, Wilhelmina."

Some of the cheer diminished and she swung her parasol by the handle, not stepping forward as her companion did.

"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly glum?"

"Can you…afford this?"

There was a reason Van Helsing never escorted her to fancy places before. He shouldn't have been spending money on her anyway but when she used to mention using her own allowance, the man shot her down on account of the gentleman's policy.

Being a renowned hero nowadays probably enriched Van Helsing's life but she wasn't sure how much. Should she even allow him to treat her?

Things weren't the same between them.

"I wouldn't have brought you here if I couldn't. Now, come on."

Oh, well. A free should never be turned down!

Wilhelmina stepped toward the stairs, surprised by the hand up in offering to help her down.

"I don't need you tripping and passing out again." He contributed to the unspoken query.

She put her gloved hand in his, amazed that it felt the same as before, giving her a sense of serenity.

Van Helsing led Wilhelmina inside, doing all the talking until they were seated and menus put in front of the two. He didn't pick up the menu, leading the vampire to conclude this place was a regular spot for him.

No need to worry then.

Her earlier nerves disappeared and she fully invested in the task of selecting a dish. The intent focus made the gunman's lips quirk up in amusement.

Some things never changed.

"Do you want desert?"

Sparking eyes of wine were answer enough.

"That's a yes."

When the waiter popped in, Van Helsing quietly shared his choice.

"What did you order?"

"Wait and see." He suggested.

"Surprises from you are known to be deadly." Wilhelmina said breezily, rolling a length of her bang around her finger.

His eye twitched. "What a sense of humor you've gained."

"Well, you're the funniest person I know, Abraham. You showed us the greatest joke of all."

"Wilhel—"

The waiter arrived with the platter, setting the desert down. Two pairs of eyes were too locked in intensity to notice the delivery until the visual confrontation was broken by a nose twitching.

"Can it be?" Wilhelmina stopped sniffing, looking down and then gasping. "Lemon cake?!"

And just like that, her rare smile vanquished any irritation Van Helsing felt for a rush of accomplishment in keeping his promise and rekindling that flicker of joy deep in the vampire's heart. If nothing else, he wanted to restore her positive emotions.

Smiles. To see endless smiles from Wilhelmina would leave him more than satisfied with their fates realigning.

"I haven't eaten this in so long! I could never get it right and everyone in town fled after the war." She gushed in between bites, for once acting like a typical woman. "Ah, it's so good."

Wilhelmina might be twenty-four but physically she appeared no older than Cardia and sporting such a giddy expression, Van Helsing would dare classify her as endearingly cute instead of her usual sense of haunting beauty.

"Aren't you going to eat any?"

Jolting out of his thoughts, the gunman cut himself a small piece, astonished that the vampire had already eaten two and was on her third slice.

"Don't make yourself sick. We can take the rest home."

"Really?" Wilhelmina laughed in relief. "I thought I would have to eat it all."

"What's this? Tired of it already?"

"No, I want to have some later…and the next day and the next day. Every day until it's gone."

Van Helsing grimaced over his spoon, cake losing some its allure in his mouth. "Only you could eat this every day."

Lemon cake was alright but nothing to binge eat for days.

"I rescind my words, Abraham. You didn't waste my time." The vampire displayed a tiny smirk. "This was worth being abducted."

"Would you stop saying that?!"

"No, because it infuriates you and your face is entertaining."

Van Helsing wiped his mouth with a napkin, finished with his slice. He got up, putting his coat back on.

"Stay here while I pay for the bill."

"Yes, Abraham."

He didn't move, inducing Wilhelmina to tilt her head in question. She couldn't make out the mumble behind his hand and the man darted away without speaking up.

"Strange."

The waiter made another round, packaging the half-eaten lemon cake for the couple. When Wilhelmina thanked him, the man blushed, stumbling off once his business was concluded.

"It must be hot in here." She mentioned once the hunter re-emerged.

"What are you talking about?"

"You and that boy were flushed." She cradled the cake container while assessing the restaurant. "It feels moderate to me and no one else looks affected. Have you caught something?"

Van Helsing was smart enough to figure out what was being alluded to and that embarrassed him to a degree but his aggravation with the waiter took precedence.

"Did he say…anything inappropriate?"

From an outsider's perspective they could be a couple, so would he have really dared to flirt with Wilhelmina?

"No, not at all. He was decent for a human boy." She walked ahead, a skip in her step.

Jealousy clouded his mind when Van Helsing spied the waiter watching the vampire. He put a hand on her back, assisting the woman up the stairs.

The discouragement of the other male was well received by the gunman.

"Still so bright." Wilhelmina struggled with opening her parasol and holding the container.

"Let me."

She blinked, stupefied by Van Helsing opening the umbrella and supporting it over their heads. He was much taller than her and cast a big shadow on the pavement.

"Abraham…"

"What?"

Her throat hurt and breathing took more effort than it should. She didn't understand where the sudden mania came from.

"Don't faint again. I won't be able to carry you all the way home."

"Abraham." The vampire couldn't voice the constriction causing her so much pain and pricking at her eyes, crippled to merely repeating his name over and over.

"What?! Why do you keep calling my name?"

Were she not on the verge of a breakdown, the repetition would have flustered him.

"Where did you go? Why couldn't you have stayed like this?"

Van Helsing flinched, drawing away from Wilhelmina. Rather than answer, he spun on his heel, marching on.

"Abraham?!"

"Let's go."

She was forced to rush after him since he stole her parasol.

"Walk beside me, not behind me."

Wilhelmina might do so but in no way did they feel equal.

Realize

"How do you like the packets? Are you feeling better?" Victor considered how much healthier Wilhelmina appeared after the addition of blood in her diet over the last few days.

She was still pale but it was more of a silvery glow and the heavy bags were gone from beneath her eyes.

"They're okay." She sipped on the opening, filling her mouth with the precious red liquid that fueled vampires.

His smile lessened and the doctor retrieved his pen, prepared to take notes for the next batch from the hospital. "It's alright to tell me the truth. I don't want you getting sick or anything, Will."

"It's nothing to fret about, Master Victor. I just have to get accustomed to the taste."

"Oh, I see." He tapped his pen on the clipboard. "Well, how does it taste?"

Wilhelmina took a big gulp, swirling the liquid around in her mouth while staring off into space. Victor's room was filled with lots of medical equipment. He might as well turn the place into a second laboratory.

The resident mad doctor.

His soft-spoken way and humanist views contradicted the stories of scientist she'd been fed by the coven. After spending so much time as a patient, Wilhelmina could truly believe that Victor wouldn't do anything harmful to her.

He wouldn't experiment on the vampire.

"Will?" The doctor poked Wilhelmina on the forehead with the butt of his pen. "You drifted off."

"Sorry, what were we talking about?"

"The taste." He reiterated patiently.

She held the empty packet in front of her face. "The best word to use would be 'flavorless'. It's missing those special characteristics that a live subject gives off."

"I'm…not sure how to improve that. Adding any supplements might dilute the blood or have negative effects." Victor rummaged through the container of blood packets, counting how many they could spare for trials. "We can try if you want?"

"Don't bother yourself. I told you, I would get used to it."

"But what about Delly? If you dislike them, he'll probably hate them."

"Master Dracula won't be using these."

"Why not?"

The whole point of the arrangement was for the vampires to utilize the donated blood.

"A pureblood can't be expected to dine on scrapes. He'll still be drinking from me."

Victor cringed, conversations he'd had with Van Helsing about vampire customs coming to mind. Delacroix was getting a little too old to casually feed from his servant.

At an age of maturity, vampire bites were known to induce extremely pleasant sensations in the bitten, therefore shifting the once innocent act into something more mature.

Wasn't it time for them to stop the codependence? How did he start that conversation with either Wilhelmina or Delacroix?

Surely, they already knew these social norms. Maybe it wasn't his place to say anything…

"Are you done, Master Victor? I have to make lunch." Wilhelmina asked.

He scrambled to close the vampire's file, smiling in acknowledgement of their finished session. "Yes, we're done."

She disposed of the blood packet in the bin filled with crumpled notes, fluffing her skirts before standing.

"Master Victor." Wilhelmina dipped into a respectful curtsy.

When the vampire rose —he'd given up trying to dissuade her paying him deference— the doctor reminded her. "Don't hesitate to come to me for anything. I'm always willing to help."

"I know." Wilhelmina smiled and left.

Even though she told Cardia doing nothing was her favorite pastime, the woman got stuck on meal duty due to Impey being completely preoccupied with the airship repairs.

In reality, her complaints had no teeth.

Cooking wasn't anything new and it beat having to work like the other males.

Victor's work necessitated his equipment. He was mostly confined to the lab, venturing out when distributing his medicines, then getting drawn into miscellaneous deeds that required a doctor in the poorer sections of the city since he didn't charge for his services. These acts of charity were why he ended up being the least productive in raising funds but no one voiced discontent about it.

Saint Germain was providing a majority of the funds from his personal treasury, so he was another to be mostly present in the manor. Managing everyone else and keeping track of finances became his secondary contribution.

She hardly saw Lupin and Van Helsing most days. They were consistently doing outside jobs to rack in cash and had even turned it into a bit of a competition.

To a degree, it felt like the hunter was purposely avoiding her.

Lupin at least checked in during jobs, taking the time to chat with everyone to keep morale up. He didn't hesitate to request packaged meals from Wilhelmina since she was on cooking duty.

Van Helsing did none of these things, out of the house the most and only returning to deposit money to the count and then back out again for the next mission. He showed no interest in the fact there was a change in chefs.

Matter of fact, the only interaction they'd had was when the gunman grilled her about the blood packets and her health.

"Why do I even care that he's gone?" Wilhelmina hissed, pushing the cart too forcefully and disturbing the plates.

Impey and Cardia would be the last to eat now.

Right ahead, they were still toiling away at the airship. In tune with the routine that developed over the week, the vampire gathered the items for each person, setting them on the workstations for the two.

As if he had a sixth sense for her, Impey abandoned his current task to race for his break area.

"Will, my Moon Goddess! This is the best part of my day!" He crooned; big dopey grin accented by the wide blush streaking across his face. "I never want this to end."

"It shall and I never want to do this again." Wilhelmina truly wished he'd just ignore her presence and let her escape after dropping off the food.

Cardia stopping her was fine but not Impey. Not his overly energetic self.

"But why?! Why are you so cold to me?!" The engineer cried, not yet outright bawling because she was cutting into the course and preparing to hand feed him just like she'd been doing since Impey first begged.

He didn't think Wilhelmina would actually believe his argument of her feeding him would help the workflow continue but she did and the woman had no idea how happy her efforts made him.

"It's because you're so loud. " The vampire shoved the food into Impey's mouth, once again leering at the sharpness of his fangs.

"So, all I have to do is be quieter and you'll warm up to me?"

"Yes." She fed him gentler this time in response to pure hopefulness twinkling around the man-child.

"Done deal, baby!"

"Impey."

"Oops! That was a one-off!" The engineer noticeably lowered his voice and gusto. "I'll be a smooth operator from now on. That'll show Van Helsing."

"What does he have to do with anything?"

"Not a thing if you don't want, Will. But it's also okay if you do."

She understood nothing of his seriousness, nor the strike of intelligence Impey suddenly gave off that made her feel stupid.

"Think on it. And if you need any advice, I'm the man!"

"Just eat. Nothing you're saying makes sense." Wilhelmina filled his mouth with food.

The engineer hummed with delight, happy to obey.

Cardia joined them later, wiping grease off her forehead as she sat down to eat. Impey did most of the talking out of the three, raining compliments on both females. One set for Cardia's future as a mechanic and another for Wilhelmina's future as a chef.

Out of boredom, the vampire decided to stick around after the mechanic duo finished their meals. She sat on a heap of parts, swinging her legs in the air and mindlessly contemplating the world.

Much later, a breeze brought a familiar scent to her nose.

"Abraham."

In the distance, Wilhelmina saw the hunter open the gate and begin the long journey to the mansion. Sniffing further once he was closer, she detected the faint smell of his blood.

The vampire leapt off her perch, landing gracefully in front of Van Helsing.

He clutched his side, angling the area away from her. "Not now, Wilhelmina."

"But you're—" His brisk flight silenced the rest of her words.

Miffed by the dismissal, she stomped on route to the cart, hauling the thing towards the mansion.

"Take care of Van Helsing, Will!" Impey yelled at her departure.

Wilhelmina paused, wondering why he assumed she would play nursemaid for the hunter? More importantly, how in the world did he know the man was injured?

Van Helsing's clothes hid the wound and only her nose revealed the problem to her. How would Impey have reached the same conclusion?

Did he also smell the blood?

"Ah, Miss Wilhelmina, how fortunate to run into you." Saint Germain greeted from the end of the hallway, gliding over to her.

"Yes, sir?"

She often omitted using the man's name since his sounded wrong in any manner used and it wasn't in her nature to be disrespectful to nobility. Mostly, he let the formal addresses go, with minor teasing here and there.

"I recently passed Van Helsing and he wasn't in top condition. Knowing how stubborn he is, I retrieved some items and planned on leaving them by the door." Saint Germain smiled deceptively. "But I think it would be better if you delivered them."

"How is that better? He doesn't want to be anywhere near me."

He chuckled. "So young and foolish."

"Sir?"

The count hardly looked much older than her and she was a vampire. Her lifespan would outpace a humans and for one to call her young and foolish was insulting.

"Won't you please deliver them for me, Miss Wilhelmina? I assure you, a beautiful face can be a balm for any man's soul." Saint Germain held the items out for her to receive.

"Is that the same for you? Because you seem empty."

His composure faltered and she glimpsed the faintest glimmer of vibrant blue orbs.

"My, oh my! Who knew a bit of blood would make you so astute?" He jested, swapping cargo with the vampire. "I'll take care of this and you handle Van Helsing."

The creaking of the cart was accompanied by no footsteps and Wilhelmina turned to watch the count go.

Whereas Impey simply confused her, Saint Germain outright unnerved her. The two were anomalies for humans. If they were even that.

She was getting highly suspicious of the engineer's possible similar origins to herself.

"Come in."

Wilhelmina entered the room, finding Van Helsing on the couch without any of his upper clothing on.

"Will— what're you doing here?!"

He'd expected the visitor to be Victor, sent by the count to assess his wounds.

"Saint Germain asked me to deliver these and be a balm to your soul." The vampire gave no indication of mortification from his indecency, dropping the bandages and ointment on the table.

Van Helsing's face flamed.

"Or maybe you do require aid, going all red like that." She plopped onto the couch, unscrewing the lid of the medicine.

"S-Stop! You shouldn't be near me!" The hunter scooted to the other end.

"Because you're bleeding?" Wilhelmina was so blasé that he questioned if this was the same vampire that almost mauled him and had a meltdown over a cut to his arm.

"I'll admit, I'm very tempted to taste your blood but I can control myself better now." She gazed deeply at him, unaware of how beguiling her eyes could be. "Do you believe me, Abraham?"

The combination of her words and eyes were too much and he could only manage a nod, for if he spoke, the sounds would come out husky.

Wilhelmina slid closer to the man, dabbing the ointment over tender flesh. Preserving a steady breathing pattern during this was a testament to his will, both due to the touches stinging and how they stroked at an improper urge that Van Helsing had to repress.

When she finished, the vampire couldn't move her eyes from the dashes of color on her fingers.

"So tempting…" Wilhelmina didn't realize she was raising her fingers to her mouth.

"Don't!" Van Helsing snatched her hand right before it touched the woman's lips, wiping the blood off with a handkerchief.

"Abraham." She whined, still lightly panting with the glow fading from her eyes.

"If you can't control yourself, then I'll do it myself."

That might be best since he was already dying and having her apply the bandages would send Van Helsing over the edge.

"I said I could!" Wilhelmina propelled him back into the couch, also stealing the bandages in the same breath of movement.

"I can see you've gotten your strength back." He frowned at the hand holding him in place.

"Yes, so fear the Impaler's return."

"Hard to do when I've seen you randomly pass out."

"You're the only one to live and tell the tale."

His frown deepened.

"Arms up, Abraham."

Wearily, he crossed them, ensuring there would be some kind of barrier between them. Wilhelmina began the wrapping, becoming close and then far from Van Helsing in a soothing cycle.

For his part, the gunman looked anywhere but at the vampire, resolve progressively weakening each time she leaned close.

"Are you mad at me?"

"No."

"So, you aren't avoiding me?"

Van Helsing said nothing.

"You are."

"No, I'm not."

Not at her but at himself, at Twilight, at that pint-sized monster and at the world. Never at Wilhelmina.

"You are and I want to know why! I didn't do anything."

"Wilhelmina!" Van Helsing broke his forced indifference, holding onto her arms while they were still wrapped around his waist.

They were near the end of the process.

She looked up from his chest.

He exhaled tremulously. "Stop testing me."

A few inches down and her lips could be claimed…

"What am I doing wrong?"

Van Helsing shook head. "Just stop."

Staying away was the only option. Every time she was in his sight, all the gunman could think about was the life they were supposed to have and how all those hopes were destroyed in a single night.

And it was all his fault!

"Saint Germain was wrong."

Blue-violet eyes moved upward from pink lips to the opposite pair reflecting his own image in them. He almost regretted doing so from how cutting maroon could be.

His chest was being impaled right now by those angry eyes.

"There's no balm in the world for your soul." Wilhelmina weaved her arms in the last few wraps for the bandage, despite wanting to leave it to the hunter.

Lazy as she was, abandoning a chore wasn't how the vampire was groomed. Her father would beat her if she ever did.

"You can let go now, Abraham." She demanded once done.

Van Helsing squeezed, wanting to do the reverse. He thought up another solution.

"Aren't you tired? This is when you usually nap."

"Like I want to stay here with you! Master Dracula hasn't been bothering me much this week, so I don't need this hiding spot." The vampire jerked out of his hold, incredible speed bringing her to the door and out before he could do anything.

His hands hovered in the spot where Van Helsing just had her in his grip. He would've dipped into a brood were it not for the loud thump outside his room.

Upon investigating the disturbance, the gunman saw Wilhelmina blacked out on the ground, felled by her disorder.

"This is not what I meant."

Selfishness would have him deposit her on his bed, where he could have those cherished moments of being in her presence with no strings of malice attached.

However, Van Helsing was a gentleman underneath the grime of his sins and would respect the vampire's boundaries. She didn't want to stay in his room and that left one option.

He dressed more appropriately and then gathered Wilhelmina in his arms, carrying the unconscious woman to her room.

The count had it right; she was a balm for his soul. Van Helsing could never tell her though.