He stood at the bottom of the hill and looked up to where the Hellsing family plot was.   Alucard took a deep breath, as the sun warmed his back and the wind kissed his face he climbed the hill.  In his pocket, a simple but beautiful ring of white gold set with a square sapphire situated in a diamond, with a small but brilliant ruby on either side.   Next to it was just a simple broad band of white gold with the Hellsing family insignia engraved on the outside.   It didn't take Alucard long to find the grave he was looking for.

He knelt before the grave of Arthur Hellsing, cleaning off the headstone off the leaves and debris that had gathered on it.   Once cleaned off, he sat with his back to the grave, arms wrapped around his knees; in his head, he's sitting back to back with the old man, having one last heart to heart talk. 

"Arthur, sir.  Where do I start?" Alucard spoke to the ghost of the last Lord Hellsing, leaning his head back against the stone. "I guess, first I just want to say I am sorry.   Sorry for not coming by and visiting sooner, but more importantly I am sorry for it taking me until I was a man before I realized that you actually loved me.  I am sorry I never got the chance to properly return that love, you deserved better from me."

He took a deep breath and held it in for a moment before slowly exhaling. "I look back on everything I have done, look to the future to the things I will do.   And sir, I can't help but wonder... am I still a man you'd be proud of.  Am I still the man you wanted to your daughter marry, the man you'd be proud to call son?"

He found his hand in his pocket clutching the rings that lay there, "Because, and you already know, you knew before I even did. I love her, sir.  Integra is the best thing I have in my life, crazy thing is... she loves me too." The man couldn't help but smile thinking about the woman he loved, "We bought a house, our life together as one has finally started.  I'm here because I want to marry her, swear my love and devotion before the gods themselves... I so got your wife's ring.  That's why I here, to get the ring so I can propose to Integra."

Alucard sat for a long while in silence, enjoying the warmth of the sun and quiet peacefulness of the graveyard. After a while, he felt like he was doing exactly what he needed to do, a feeling contentedness came over him.  He stood up, saying his last few words to his old mentor, before walking away.  "Thank you, Arthur.  For taking in a troubled street kid, for never giving up on me, and for teaching me to be the man you always believed I could be."

His drive back to the hotel was a quiet and calm one for Alucard.   He felt a peacefulness as he thought back over the quiet day he spent with Arthur, at times he almost felt like the old man was there with him.  Alucard couldn't help but smile broadly as he stepped out of the car, and into the hotel lobby.  The daydreams of his future with Integra were interrupted by the desk clerk calling out to him.

"Excuse me, Mr. Alucard!  You received an important call while you were out.  A miss Bella Byrne called for you, said it was urgent you call her back right away."  And the mousey haired clerk, stuck a piece of paper out in Alucard's direction, "Here's the number sir."

"Thank you, Jack, I will call her when I get back to my room."  The man said as he reached for the piece of paper. 

What did Bella Byrne want with Alucard?  And what was so important that she's contacting him while he's in England?  He's not even her family or even her own city.   He had so many questions, and in his gut, he knew the news wasn't good.  So he took a deep breath, swallowing hard before picking up the receiver, dialing the number and asking the switchboard operator to connect him.   When he finally heard a voice on the other end, he spoke. 

"Hello, this is Alucard.  I am returning Don Bella's phone call."

"Thank God..."  Isabella said with an audible sigh, she rarely answered her own phone but this time she was waiting - hoping for help. 

"Alucard, I understand that you're a friend of my daughter, Aurora?  She spoke about you at great length.  She tells me that you're a man of a great many talents and your reputation proceeds you in this." 

She sighed. 

"I know you're busy and that much has been happening, but I'm desperate.  You see, Aurora is missing and I can't get away from all that's happening here."

She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"She was on holiday in Sicily with Billy and... well, I... I know it's a short trip from England."  

She paused.  

"I know it's highly unusual to ask this, but I would like to engage your services.  Immediately.  If you're willing, I would be put considerably in your debt.  It could be a full day or maybe two before Gavin can arrive there.  I think the sooner we find out what's become of Aurora the better. I don't want waste even a second of time because I'm scared to death something has or will have happened to her if we don't act with haste."

He could hear the sighs through the phone call, and even though he had a number of questions he wanted to ask the Don he knew they could wait.

"I will go immediately.  My business here in London is finished.  I will be on the next plane to Sicily.   I will contact you again when I land, I will take details once I land."  

The man was straight business, but his voice warmed up a lot when he said, "I will find Aurora and Billy. I will talk to you again soon."

Just by the tone in Bella's voice, he knew time was important and when there wasn't a commercial flight, he paid for a private flight. During the flight, Alucard's mind raced over everything going on.  The unexpected call from an allied Don, what did those words mean, 'all that's happening here?' It didn't sit well with him.  Aurora and Billy both missing, none of this was good, but he needed to get through it so he could get back to his Tegs. 

After a very long two hour flight, Alucard went and found the nearest phone. He rang Don Bella once more, "Don Byrne, it's Alucard again.  I've landed.  What details can you give me about where they went?  Who I might be able to contact?  Just give me a direction, and my marching orders."

Bella's phone rang only once before she picked it up.  She stifled a yawn.  "Hello?"  Hearing Alucard's voice she woke up considerably.  

"I'm glad you made it safely.  I've learned a bit more since we last spoke and my husband, Gavin is on a plane to the old country now.  He should be there sometime tomorrow to join you in the search."

"So Billy and Rora went to Sicily to meet Billy's family.  They were going to be there for a week.  They had a plan to visit several people during their stay before going to a resort in Catania and then sailing home on a steamer ship.  Only they never made it to the hotel, or to our family friend Stella Viacelli's house." 

"I called Aurora's biological grandmother Sophia Conti's home but the operators tell me they no longer have international service so I can't get the call through.  According to a family friend, his men dropped Aurora and Billy off at an olive farm that is tended to by Billy's family on the DiCaprio family lands near Presa.  That's where you need to go to start, the village of Presa.  It's the last place I know or SURE that they were."

She paused.

"Presa.  Mastrosimone farm.  There's more though... there is a blood feud going on.  This normally wouldn't affect an outsider like you or my daughter but the problem here is that this feud is a carryover from one in the states and Aurora is at the heart of it.  You see, the Caonti family is the family of Marie Lucania, Aurora's birth mother.  They are at war with the Luciano family and I'm sure I don't need to explain who we are."

Bella sighed.

"It's possible she's with one family or another, but I think the place to start isn't with them.  They won't welcome a stranger in wartime very warmly.  Billy's family is likely your best bet to learn what's happened.  Hopefully, she's now back sitting on the farm without a phone to call home and you can just bring her back to us."