purple_shad@hotmail.com
August 1999

This installment is dedicated to my surrogate Master Qui-Gon Jinn aka the Lady Chimera for no really significant reason. However, I do appreciate her input about how to end this damned thing that's about a year old now! Because of our little prep talk I have finally moved forward in trying to complete this fic. Although I haven't followed her vision of the ending, might I say master that I have a bad feeling about this...
Besides the first two, I think this will probably be my next-to-favourite chapter. Oh no, did I accidentally, subconsciously put a lightsabre battle in here??

  "What have you done to him, sorcerer?!" Maria exclaimed, her hands trying to turn Alucard towards her.
  "Nothing that he didn't let me." Markus beamed.
  "Are you saying he wanted this to happen, that he let you do this to him?" Maria refused to believe such a thing.

   "Of course. A part of him always wants it," the vampire replied.
  "She ignored him. "Oh Adrian, look at me. Say something, just don't, don't go away. Come back here and fight it. Please, Adrian," she pleaded, but he remained still staring up.

   "He can't hear you, child. Heh," said Severnes, his legs crossed at the knees, the top leg bobbing up and down in amusement. "Now why don't you be a good little girl like Katrina over there and come here?" His arm moved lazily through the air in an open gesture, the long fingers of his other hand fingering the broach at his collar.

   Maria turned abruptly away and buried her face in the folds of Alucard's shirt. His hand moved to rest on her shoulder gently. Looking up hopefully, her expression fell when she saw the glare still in his eyes. A growl escaped him as he flashed his fangs and tossed his head back. Maria was pinned to him now whereas she first thought his hand on her shoulder was meant to comfort. She continued to watch him, sadness creeping into her eyes. When he looked down, however, he stopped and blinked as if confused. He shook his head, but he could not diffuse the darkness.

   "Maria..." he barely mouthed, "Get away from me!" His expression contorted into a snarl as he nearly threw her away from himself.

   "Adrian!" Severnes immediately stood up and moved beside his brother. "Didn't your mother ever teach you how to treat a lady? Just look at her now," he said, watching Maria as she half sat, half lay sprawled on the velvet carpet.

   "You did this to me!" Alucard was nearly panting from the exertion caused by Severnes's spell. He turned, grabbing Severnes by the lapels of his coat.

   "Well of course, do you see any other magick maker in this room?" Severnes glared back and Alucard released him. The vampire brushed himself off and straightened his jacket as he said, "Careful with the coat, Adrian. My tailor met an unfortunate accident after I left him last."

   Alucard snorted in derision but backed off even further.
  "You're so easy to manipulate when you're angry," Severnes smiled. This made Alucard scowl even more. Before he could pull away again, Severnes had his hands on either side of his head. Alucard felt dizzy. He knew what his brother was doing but he could not stop it. Maria was trying to bring his attention back around by talking to him, but all he could see, all he could feel was Severnes's burning green eyes.

  Maria felt like she was constantly being ignored, and of course, she was. She began to wonder if her presence was helping any and was disappointed to find that the answer was no. This was between Alucard and Severnes, there was nothing she could do against the vampire's mind spells to help her love. Now she watched helplessly as Severnes once again invaded Alucard's mind, turning knobs, flicking switches, and pushing buttons, trying to drive the vampire in him to the surface.

   They stood, faces only inches apart. They could have each been the face of a mirror. Alike and unlike were their visages. They both had the careless wavy hair: one dark and one light; the same narrow, long-lashed eyes: one pair amber, the other emerald; the same thin, sharp nose; the same marble-white skin. Alucard had a gentler jaw line, though hard set, and Severnes had higher cheekbones that made the dimples and creases in his cheeks when he grinned. Severnes was also significantly shorter than his brother, having to look up slightly at his older counterpart. Maria realized that Severnes looked like what Alucard would have hundreds of years ago, remembering what the dhampire had told her about his past.

   "Adrian..." she said softly, knowing he could hear her, but he was not registering it.

  "You can feel it still, can't you?" Severnes sneered. "It's always there. You can't escape it."
  Alucard remained silent. As hard as he tried to ignore it and his brother, it was always there. It threatened to consume him now, overtake him in its wrath and fury, but he tried desperately to drown it out, bury it deep inside. Unfortunately, Severnes was right, it was always there, and it would never go away.
  "...caras mett o necharish, dhampire," Severnes chanted. Alucard's eyes turned a dull red. When he blinked, they resumed their normal amber hue albeit glowing strangely. Why couldn't he block it out? Why was he letting his happen to him?

  "You want it to happen," his brother said sharply, his voice stabbing into Alucard's mind.
  It was true then, he did want it to come; he wanted his vampirism to surface and drown out all his doubts and cover him in comfort. Dark comfort. Alucard was too far gone to do anything but watch as Severnes reached for the hilt of the dhampire's sword. Metal scraped against metal as his brother drew it out slowly, the glow of the blade harsh, reflecting a blue hue on both their faces. Alucard twitched, but Severnes's eyes were quick to halt any movement he might have made.

   Once drawn, the vampire pretended to admire it, fingering the silver blade. As soon as he touched it he snorted and stifled a sneeze with the back of his wrist. A split second stalled his concentration and Alucard began to regain control. Unfortunately, it did not come back fast enough as Severnes turned his wrist to run the blade straight through the dhampire's torso.

   "I always found silver annoying, don't you?" Severnes said offhandedly.
  Alucard coughed, clutching what little of the sword that had not yet penetrated his body. However, he could not remove it for Severnes had already reasserted his mind control. The silver prevented the healing process from taking place and Alucard began to bleed.

   "Fall, brother," Severnes gloated. "See how weak you've become." He let go of the sword as Alucard doubled over and then fell to one knee. The blade began to slide out inch by inch.

   Severnes stepped back and doffed his trench coat, never taking his eyes off Alucard.
  "You always were weak," he began, moving towards where the girl, Katrina, had begun to awaken. "That's why Father was so... disappointed." He placed his coat around the girl's shoulders; She bent her head meekly. "That's why he made me," he said, returning to where Alucard crouched.

   Maria, meanwhile, found that she could do nothing, not even move. Apparently, Severnes had not forgotten about her and was not about to let her interrupt.

   "So why deny it? Why continue to be only half, when I can make you whole...?" Severnes rolled up his sleeve and knelt beside Alucard, who was still trying to remove the sword that was only half out. "Give up this life of suffering and truly become what you were intended to be, what you should be." He raised his outstretched arm in front of Alucard's face.

  Alucard sniffed despite himself and his eyes grew brighter than before. Then, with a mighty heave he pulled his sword out from his own abdomen, and as if it were one movement, chopped off Severnes's hand at the wrist. The vampire recoiled, snarling as his brother staggered to his feet.

   "How!?" Severnes yelled, while also getting to his feet. With his fangs extended fully, his anger muffled his words. "Even the scent of your own blood should be enough to drive you mad! And how did you escape my hypnosis? You were a puppet only seconds ago!"

   Alucard sighed shakily. "Let's just say, you wouldn't understand."
  Severnes pulled out a blade of his own, seemingly from thin air. It glowed and flamed a terrible red, perfectly counteracting Alucard's sword. Then the two clashed, emitting a blinding light. The battle was short-lived though, as Severnes called on all his magical powers on an unstable Alucard.

   "I understand this, dhampire," he said harshly. "You are a fool! Since you refused my generous offer you deserve to die!" In a final scuffle he disarmed Alucard, whose sword went flying off to the side. "Perhaps I am being more than merciful by ending your pitiful existence!"

  "You are the fool, Severnes," replied Alucard more calmly than he should have, unfazed by the flaming tip of the blade at his throat. "You know full well that if I had bitten you, we would both now be dead!"

   "But we don't know that for sure. I was willing to take that chance," his voice fell to a whisper, "for you, of course."

   Alucard grimaced and backed off a step. The blade followed suit. "Why?" he asked suspiciously. "Why do you want me to turn back so badly? Why would you be willing to risk your own misbegotten life for a brethren who has never loved you, nor ever will?!?"

   "Wouldn't you like to know?" Severnes replied bitterly. "Do you know why I have become this?!? Because of you! I am what I am because of your weakness; it's your fault or didn't you realize that?"

   "What are you saying?" Alucard asked, puzzled.
  "Father made me because you are a failure!"
  "So you don't like it after all this time? I thought you wanted more power, or are you finally going insane?"

  "I've always been insane, and my power is limited. My very existence has always been to take your place, to live up to his expectations. I'm supposed to be you, you twit!"

   "And you're tired of it? How basic." Alucard shook his head.
  "Exactly! I will no longer be a decoy used to mask your inability. I will either deliver you or destroy us both!" Severnes roared.
  "Your desperation has made you stupid."
  "Of course..."
  "How long have you been like this?"
  "Oh the bliss of your ignorant slumber. I have waited for your awakening..."
  "To complain to me," Alucard finished for him.
  "Don't you understand?"
  "Ah, how ironic: you're asking me to be understanding now?"
  Severnes continued driving Alucard around in a circle with his sword. "I will be free of you and him, and then I will have power far beyond what I have now."
  "Consumed by your own greed as usual."
  "All I have to do is kill you, since you refused to co-operate!"
  Meanwhile, Maria inched from her position on the floor where she had fallen, which felt like ages ago. In his agitation, Severnes had lost hold of controlling her paralysis, so she began moving towards where Alucard's blade had fallen. As the vampire prepared to strike down his defenseless brother, Maria leapt up with the glistening silver blade and swung at Severnes's head.

   Not as unaware as he seemed Severnes ducked, spun around, and with his one good hand (the blade having vanished as he moved so quickly) grabbed hold of Maria faster than the human eye could register. Even faster still Alucard pushed her out of the line of danger of his brother's protruding fangs. They still met flesh and under that, blood as Severnes began to drink greedily. Alucard tried desperately to throw him off, but the swoon held him fast and he began to black out from too much blood loss. Alucard was too weak to say anything, but his eyes widened as he looked up into Markus's face; it was glowing from his blood.

   "The vampire in you is now powering me, which leaves you with only your humanity. Yes, do you feel that weakness in your body now? That is the true weakness of a human body!" His grin was wild, whereas the look on Alucard's face was pure shock.