Cecily smoothed her hand over the freshly laundered sheet and tucked neat corners at the ends. It was a particularly quiet afternoon at the shelter. There were currently only three residents, and each of them were in their classes until three. Making their beds wasn't something the young sister had to do, but it was something she liked to do. Lovingly, she turned down the sheet and blanket of the last bed before leaving the bedroom. It was time to begin preparing for the evening meal. Lots of chopping to do. 

Cecily hummed softly as she headed for the kitchen. She was no older than 24, with soft blue eyes and dark brown hair that just barely peeked out from beneath the habit covering her head. Just as she rounded the corner, she bumped into someone walking the opposite direction. Startled, she stumbled backwards. 

"Goodness! Pardon me! I wasn't expecting anyone to be here this time of day."

She looked over the gentleman standing there. He didn't appear to be in need, but he seemed to know his way around the corridors. Cecily tried not to look suspicious. 

"Can I help you, sir?" 

Several wars had decimated the places he called home, it wasn't until the most recent against Philly that he saw it's true effects.  Hundreds of people left on the streets, or would soon find themselves there when the jobs dried up and they ran out of whatever little money they had.  People always think about the mafia families, those that died.  Those that are left int he wake to rebuild.   Very few people think about the hundreds and possibly thousands of innocents that get tied up in their conflict. 

A Don dies.  How many of his businesses die with him? How many employees are now left without a job?  Civilians who relied on that laundry mat, bar, warehouse for money to support their families.  That was hard enough to think about, but it was worse when his mind fell to the literal hundreds of possible widows and widowers, of the bodyguards of the dead mafioso. 

These realizations hit him hard and when he found himself back in Detroit, he swore to take a more active role in running the school and shelter. He was no longer just going to be the faceless founder and benefactor.  These were the thoughts going through his head when he accidentally ran into... was his eyes mistaking him, a nun?

His hand reached out, softly clasping her upper arm. "Sister, I apologize for my absent mindedness. Are you alright?"

He heard her ask him if she could help him, and he gave her a slightly quizzical look.  "Can you help me?  Do you work here?  I don't remember hiring a nun."

Cecily was able to recover her footing quickly, thanks to the extended arm from the fellow she smacked into. 

"I don't remember hiring a nun."

Immediately, her brain kicked into gear. She smiled and readjusted the cross necklace around her neck. 

"Ah, you must be Mr. Alucard. No, I was hired to replace your staff nurse, Mrs. Gilson, after her hip surgery."

Quietly, she cleared her throat and looked around. 

"You and I should talk. Privately."

Cecily gestured toward the kitchen, following him inside. She closed the wooden door behind them. 

"Mr. Alucard, I'm about to tell you three things. Two of them are true, one of them...not exactly. But, I feel that it's imperative that you know your staff and decide whether you would like to keep me in your employment or not." 

​​​​

"Ah, yes, there was a letter about your hiring. I wasn't expecting a nun though.  I should check in on Mrs. Gilson though, make sure she's being properly taken care of.  And it's just Alucard.  Sister...."

His voice trailed off, in a tone that implied he was asking her for a name to call her.    When she asked to talk to him privately, he obliged her and the two headed into the kitchen.  He jumped up on an empty prep table and put his hands to his knees. 

"So, let's hear it Sister.  What are these truths, and partial truth."

For a moment, Cecily considered chopping vegetables as she explained everything; but thought better of it, as this man didn't know her and there were things that needed to be explained. Instead, she leaned back against the counter and folded her hands in front of her.

"What you have no doubt gleaned from our conversation thus far, I am a nun, and I am a trained nurse-practitioner. I came to Detroit from out west, where I worked as a high-end escort and information resource for the Las Vegas mafia."

An impish smile crossed her face. It was likely clear now which were the truths and which was the lie. Still, she continued in an attempt to be fully honest with her rather mysterious employer, who had yet to make any real eye contact with her.

"As you might have guessed, I am no nun. Not truly, anyway. Thanks to a considerable contribution to the Sisters of St. Bridgette, I do appear on their roles as a Sister. They were kind enough to help me keep my identity protected. You see, during my time in Las Vegas, I amassed a wealth of information; both on the underground organizations and the federal government agencies that were investigating them. Both sides became wary of how much I knew. The mob knew I wouldn't speak, I proved myself to them time and time again. However, the Feds are a different story. I've got far too much dirt on them, and that makes me a liability. I've been on the move for well over a month. It was after joining the convent that I found the advertisement for a nurse at your facility. It was the perfect opportunity to get away from the west coast, and use the skills I was actually trained for. Well, the ones besides espionage and under-cover work."

Having finished, she stood up straight and sighed a bit.

"That is my story. I'm a hard worker, and I have already grown to love working here. I have even made acquaintences with Don Ligambi, who has offered me protection in exchange for my work for the city. You were my last order of business."

With all now on the table, Cecily smiled warmly and held out her hand to shake his, hoping that he might feel a bit more comfortable with her.

"So, I'm Cecily. Or Cece, if you wish. Only around others would you need to call me Sister. The residents here generally call me Sister Cece."

He furrowed his brow and returned her grin with a knowingly mischievous grin of his own. Still, he sat quietly and listened to everything she had to say to him.  He slid off the table, when she straightened up.   

"Well since you aren't, technically, a nun I guess I shouldn't have any concerns about you jumping backward, dousing me in holy water, screaming about how I'm a demon that needs to go back to the pits of hell." 

Alucard offered Cecily a smile and laughed at his joke, as he extended his hand to shake hers in a firm grip.  He let his, warm firey amber eyes lock onto her soft blues. 

"Thank you for being open with me, I appreciate your honesty as much as I appreciate the work you're doing here for my people.  Some of them have lost so much, makes me wish I could do more."  Alucard sighed a bit thinking of everything. "Still, Miss Cecily.  I do want you to know if you do happen to betray me, or these people at all...  There is no place you will be able to hide, I would chase you into hell itself."

His eyes flickered with fire that matched the passion he had for taking care of the seemingly forgotten.  He realized quickly how he must have sounded, and he shook his head.

"Forgive me, that sounded a lot more threatening than I intended.  You have told me about you, is there anything you wish to know about your employer? I have no secrets to hide, ask me anything. I promise you I am not the demon monster the rumors and stories paint me to be." 

Several seconds must have passed before Cecily realized that she was staring into his eyes. They were like nothing she'd ever seen. Certainly, in the time she'd been in Detroit, she'd heard whispers about what kind of man- or not- that Lord Alucard was. None of it phased her; she had always assumed that it was some sort of story built up to intimidate people. Cecily knew enough about his business dealings that she was comfortable taking this route, but no one had been quite so up front about how...captivating he was. 

She shook her head slightly, clearing her throat.

"I'm sure you aren't, Alucard. However, I want to give you assurance. I may not be a nun, but the concept of loyalty and trust are not lost on me. I take great care of those who take care of me. I'd still be in Vegas if I thought the families would fight for me anymore; but evidently I've drawn too much heat even for them. It is only behind these robes that I've been able to find any respite. As for my questions about you; I know enough that I'm happy to be here working for a good man. It really is nice to meet you. You've done something wonderful for the neighborhood with this place. We've only got three in residence right now. One of the men came in with the beginnings of Spanish flu, but I was able to contain that very quickly and all is well."

With that, she took up the chef's knife and stepped up to the cutting board, taking a bunch of carrots from the basket of fresh produce.

"I'm preparing chicken pot pie tonight. Will you be staying for supper?"

The last few days for Alucard had been very tough.  He couldn't help but feel like he was just making a mess out of everything he touched, no matter how much he tried to help. Her words telling him that he's actually doing good work here brought the first genuine smile to his face for a few days. 

"I promise you Miss Cecily, that I will protect you and your secret so long as you work here under me.  I will do what is in my power to keep you safe, just as I protect the people who come here seeking shelter." 

He slowly made his way to the back of the kitchen and grabbed an extra knife from the back of the kitchen.  He ran his thumb over the blade ensuring the blade was sharp.  He stood next to Cecily and grabbed some celery.

"I would love to stay for supper.  As long as you don't mind the extra mouth to feed, AND I may help you prepare."

He didn't let his faux nun reply.  Instead, his cutting hand gripped high on the blade, his fingers pinching it at the base.  With his other hand, he curled his fingers back using his knuckles as a guide as he quietly chopped.   Cooking was one of the few things in the world Alucard found peace in, he loved the process of putting little pieces of things together.  Sometimes things you wouldn't think, to come up with a beautiful creation that one can enjoy.  Cooking for others, to him, was one of life's greatest joys.   He gave a fond, but sad, sigh in realizing he didn't get to cook for much more than himself anymore.

"So only three residents now?  Ted Goodwin finally got through his mechanical training huh?  I'm happy he and his family are finally someplace they can be happy together.  I hope the future is bright for them all.  I will miss Susie though,  sweet girl that one."

Impressed with the knife skills of her employer, Cece grinned and went about chopping the carrots; though not so expertly as he. As Alucard mentioned the Goodwin family, it struck her briefly how interesting it was that- having just met- they shared experiences already through the shelter.

"Oh, I do wish you could have seen Susie. The day before they left, she lost a tooth. My goodness, was she proud. It was one of the ones right up front. I told her to hide it safely under her pillow and she might have a surprise in the morning. Sure enough, she woke me up bright and early the next morning with a golden eagle clutched in her hands."

Cecily shrugged, scraping a load of carrots into the waiting pot.

"I know it was a bit much, but there were no other children at the time, so I couldn't help but indulge her a bit."

Next, she began to shell peas.

"Graham is nearly finished with his plumbing course, and he's already got an offer for a journeymanship north of the city. Raymond and Melissa are doing alright. Melissa is still working at the bakery on 12th, and Raymond has managed to stay sober for- oh, I'd say going on three weeks now. I think they will be alright."

For a woman whose entire career circulated around gathering information, she hated to seem to be prying when it came to people that weren't marks. Still, she couldn't help but be a bit curious.

"So you travel quite a bit?"

Alucard gave a bright smile and a warm laugh when he thought about little Susie, how she probably showed everyone her lost tooth then how she undoubtedly showed everyone the golden eagle.

"I can just imagine her little face and toothless smile.  You know, it wasn't too much.  I would have done the exact same thing."

He noted that she grabbed the peas, and gave Cecily a teasingly upset look.

"Yeah, I see how it is.  Leave me with the onions."

Chuckling he reached for the onions and began the process of peeling them, before starting the cutting process.

"I'm glad to hear everyone here is doing well, or at least will be.   It does me good to hear how well everyone is doing,  that I'm actually putting something positive back into the world." 

His voice was contemplative and sad.  The thought of everything that went down in Philly, and all the innocent people who were suffering in its wake, weight heavily on his conscious. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind from those thoughts.

"Do I travel a lot?"  It was such a simple question, but it made him smile.  "Aye, you might say that.  What gave it away, was it my undeniably charming accent?"  He playfully teased his new employee.

"Actually, I just got back from a trip to Philadelphia not too long ago.   It was that trip to Philly that made me want to be more than just the faceless founder and benefactor of this place."

Cecily had, for all intents and purposes, been hiding under a rock for months; but even under there she knew of the troubles that had befallen Philadelphia. She listened closely as he spoke, shelling peas and tossing the hulls into the compost bin. Occasionally, she would glance up as he prepped alongside her. To Cecily, it was clear that the horrors in Philly hadn't left him untouched. 

When the last of the peas were in with the rest of the veggies, Cecily wiped her hands on a dish towel. 

"I heard what happened there. It was awful to hear. Such a strong city with so many good people."

Not wanting to darken his mood further, she simply gave Alucard a warm smile and set the vegetables to simmer in the stock pot. 

"Thank you for agreeing to meet me stay on. I really can't say when it'll be safe for me to drop this sister act and get back to my 'normal' life, but I really do like working here. Like you, I feel like I'm doing something that has a real impact on real people. It helps one to feel more human in this strange world we live in."

​​​​​​

"I hope you'll stay, even after you"  He gave her a cheeky grin, "..break the habit."

Alucard laughed at his own joke, as he cleaned his hands off on a nearby towel.

"All joking aside, I do hope you stay.    This place will always need good people to help out."  That phrase, 'good people' made him think of what she had said earlier, "You know, I think you may be the first person who has ever referred to me as a good man."

He softly laughed at that though, before grinning at Cecily, "So boss, what job do you need me to do next?"

Already standing over another pan on the stove, Cece glanced up at the clock as she used a whisk to keep the butter moving and incorporating with the flour.

"Well, unless you're busy, you could tell me a bit about people I need to know. In the month or so that I've been here, I haven't done much venturing out. I have been sleeping in the infirmary, actually, and when I'm not on shift I pretty much stay down there and read. It's only recently that I met Don Ligambi, and now that I'm...involved, I suppose...I should probably make a point to meet at least a few people. I don't want to seem terribly suspicious or reclusive."

She moved swiftly around the kitchen, gathering things she needed as she talked. Cecily seemed at ease doing multiple things at once while carrying on a conversation.

He closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh. 

Right, Alucard don't try to be friends with people... you're a tool, be it an attack dog, means to a paycheck, or just information.

"I am sorry I cannot help you too much on the who to know side of things.  I would have been a lot more help when I helped run a motorcycle club out of 12th Street, but that Detroit is dead and it's an all-new Detroit for me.   You have a good start with Joe though, he will be a powerful ally to have."

His followed as the young woman darted around the kitchen, without any her giving him any direction to help her he was left feeling like he was in the way.  He made his way to the door, placing his hand on the knob.

"I fear I am just in your way now.  So if you'll excuse me, I will head to my office to work on getting some men to repair, and upkeep the roof and some other things around here."

He turned the handle and began opening the door.

"Oh, when it comes time for the meal please come and get me.  And you can let me know if there are things you need for the kitchen, or any of the tasks you help with around here.  I will see they are taken care of."

Cecily stopped in her tracks, turning to look at Alucard. She looked directly into his unique, fiery amber eyes and tilted her head slightly.

"Alucard-"

She was about to say that he wasn't in the way at all. Something she said caused a sudden change in him. That was a sign- something she recognized- in victims. There was more, but she didn't want to press. Instead, she softened her voice and her eyes.

"I look forward to seeing you at dinner. If you need anything...well, you know where to find me."