Tea with Mrs Crownguard

"Your mother hates me." She glared at the half-naked demacian lounging on the vast bed. He was grinning stupidly at her, as if her words entertained him somehow. She heartily suspected they did, for they were spoken earnestly. He thought the entire thing absolutely hilarious; she threw a pillow at him, which he caught in front of his laughing face. Oh, how she despised him sometimes.

"This is not funny, Crownguard!"

She held the note in her hand; it had arrived at Garen's town house a few minutes ago, and she had nearly scared the pants off the messenger when she was the one who had opened the door. For a brief moment she had wondered why, but that was until she saw the sender of the note. His mother had not warned the messenger who was likely to answer the door at the demacian commander's house, for while some people had gotten somewhat used to the fact that Katarina stayed at the commander's house during her diplomatic stays in Demacia, it was far from common knowledge yet. She was content to keep it that way, but that also meant the messenger had very nearly run scared when she opened the door with her hair in disarray, wearing only a large shirt of Garen's.

She opened the note to read it again. It was from Garen's mother. At first, when she had seen who had sent it, she had given it to the commander to read, but he had chuckled and given it back to her. It had been for her, and was an invitation to tea later that afternoon. She had been so confused that she had read it three times before she comprehended the words. She'd checked the envelope, to see if it was delivered to the wrong house; Lux had her own house now, next to Garen's, and she had thought it might have been meant for the blonde strategist. But no, it had been addressed to her specifically, naming her as 'the noxian ambassador.'

"I'm not going." She threw the letter onto the desk, and herself back on the bed. Her weight was barely noticeable next to the burly man, but he rolled around to nearly squish her between him and the soft mattress. He grasped her hand in his, bringing it up to his lips to kiss.

"You are. My mother does not invite just anyone to tea."

"Am not. I would rather have never met the woman." She slipped her hand out of his grasp, placing it against his cheek. It was stubbled and crinkled with a smile, but she could not see his humor. There was nothing funny about this. If she attended tea, she would be expected to wear a dress, to not carry weapons, and most of all to behave herself. She did all those things very poorly.

"Katarina. We decided we would make this work." His blue eyes gleamed in the dim light let through the heavy curtains. "That includes trying to get along with my mother. It will also help your diplomatic duties, even during this peace, as my parents are both on the council."

She sighed; she knew all this, but it did little to convince her. There was very little he could say that would convince her.

"Your mother hates me."

He sighed with amusement. "You're right. She does. Which is why it is important that you make an effort to let her get to know you, so that she won't. If you never see her, she'll never know you."

"You put her up to this, didn't you?"

Her hair slid through his fingers as he caressed her, from the edge of her forehead down her back, slipping slightly under the shirt she had put on to answer the door. Refusing to shiver, to let him know he was getting to her, she kept her glare on him. He leaned in to give her a kiss, but she pulled her head back as far as his weight atop her would allow.

He sighed. "Yes. I did. Like I said, we decided we would make this work. Remember?"

"I remember."

"Good." He leant in to kiss her again, and this time she allowed it; if she were to go to tea with his mother later on, she would need a through distraction beforehand.

She knocked on the door, waiting for it to open whilst glaring at it. The man who opened had a good-natured smile, and took no notice of her glare except to smile at it. He turned sideways in the door to let her in, and called for his wife as he made his own way out.

"Lilia, dear! Your guest is here!"

Before he left he winked at her. She suspected Garen had confided in his father his plan for her and his mother to get to know each other. Men.

Lilia Crownguard entered the hall as Katarina looked around. She had only been in this house twice before; once when looking for Jarvan, the other after the ball. Remembering the latter occasion, she also remembered how glad she was that he had deigned to get his own house at last. He had had no need of it before, but when it had become clear that she would be staying in Demacia from time to time, he had, wisely, seen the idea of his own house as less of a chore, and more of an opportunity. She did not think he minded having his own place, even if he had never before considered it. She would never have stayed in the same house as his mother.

When she had mentioned it to Talon, he had laughed, and offered to assassinate Lilia Crownguard, seeing as it would be rather awkward if she now was to do it herself. She had given it brief consideration, if not seriously, as it would be sure to make her life in the future simpler. She heartily regretted not taking him up on her offer as she stood in front of Lilia Crownguard, enduring her scrutiny.

For the occasion, she had worn a ruffled shirt in place of her armored breastplate, and had replaced her armored gloves and boots with soft ones of leather. She had even left most of her weapons at the commander's place, bringing with her only the three short daggers strapped to her leg.

"I'm glad you decided to make it." Lilia's tone made it perfectly clear that she had expected her to decline the invitation, and that she was a little disappointed she had not. Apparently the olive branch had been more of a gesture than an actual invitation, but Katarina decided to pay it no mind. They had decided they would try to make this work, even if she was briefly reminded of the fact that Darius had no parents.

"So Katarina, what are your plans for the future?" The question hung as suspended in the air as the cup of tea she had been on her way to drink from. It hung now frozen just before her lips, and she found herself quite unable to move it.

It took her several long moments to be able to move the cup again, though she put the cup down, rather than drink from it. This was the question she had wondered if and when would come.

"I plan to continue in my capacity as the noxian ambassador, and will subsequently split my time between here and Noxus."

"I see. And my son?"

Katarina appraised the older woman sitting across the table from her. Her light hair was speckled with grey, pulled into a tight bun at the nape of her neck, framing her thin face. She looked so unlike her son, and yet so similar. They were both regal, but in their own way, and looked like they should have armies at their command. One of them had.

"My plans include him as well."

Her eyes narrowed. "And what are his plans?"

"The same as mine."

Lilia Crownguard took a break to have a sip from her cup of tea, whilst glaring at her. "My daughter is dating that explorer, and my son is living with you. Does neither of them realize that I am of an age to have grandchildren?"

Grandchildren. Lilia Crownguard wanted grandchildren. Lilia Crownguard had invited her for tea. She blinked once, twice, before the sentence sank in. Grandchildren? What was Lilia Crownguard telling her for? Surely she should be telling her own children about this. What did she have to do with Lilia's grandchildren? And then it hit her; that was the reason she had been invited over for tea. Did Lilia expect grandchildren from her?

"Grandchildren? Surely not already?" Trying to keep her voice disinterested and distant, she forced herself to gulp down the rest of her tea, only to find her cup had been refilled, and the liquid was now scoldingly hot. She tried to cough it out again, but it was too late. Her sore throat burned as she coughed, and she looked around for something to soothe it with, but found nothing.

To her credit, Lilia looked mildly concerned when she finally looked back at the dignified woman sitting there, waiting to hear about possible grandchildren.

Katarina looked away, trying to pass off the uncharacteristic blush coloring her cheeks as a reaction to the hot tea. They had not even talked about this, and now his mother wanted to know what they had decided upon.

"My son knows I expect this of him. I had hoped he would marry the princess Jean, and be a father already. However, you have disrupted those plans."

"I assure you, that was not my intention," she replied, trying to keep her voice distant, while failing miserably. She could not get the concept of children out of her head; she had never thought much about it, always having assumed one, that she would not find a man she cared for, and two, that even if she did, she would die before anyone would expect it of her.

"What is done is done. With princess Jean now a traitor, it would do him no good. I had, however, hoped that he would have found himself another suitable wife by now."

Katarina looked at the Crownguard matriarch, who sat so calmly telling the woman her son loved that he should marry, because she expected grandchildren, and narrowed her eyes. "Your son is quite capable of making those decisions for himself."

Lilia waved her hand, as if dismissing the entire idea. "Katarina, do you think I expect too much of my children? I am willing to ignore the fact that the two of you are not married, and that you will likely never be. However, surely you must have discussed having children. It's a natural step, following the ones you have already taken."

She sat stunned, her expression frozen in disbelief. Children? Her? Now? What was Lilia Crownguard thinking?

"We have not talked about it. About any of it."

Now it was Lilia's turn to look taken aback, as if she could not believe that they would not have talked about this.

"My son knows what I expect of him; what comes with his rank. Children are, compared to many other things he should worry about, a rather small matter. They would not be much work for either of you, as you would employ a full-time nanny as is the custom, and I would take care of them as well. Really, after they are born you would rarely have to see them. I would be more than happy to take care of them."

Them? Did she expect more than one? Katarina's cup of tea rattled slightly in her hand as she considered the possibility, not only having children, but then leaving them to strangers.

Katarina had been raised by her father, and while he had not had much time to actually raise his daughters, he had not left them in the hands of nannies, instead taking them with him wherever he went within Noxus. If something happened to make him leave the city, he would leave them in the company of his friends from the High Command. She did not remember her mother, who had died shortly after Cassiopeia's birth, but remembered the empty feeling it had followed her death; it was not something she would wish upon any children, especially not if she was to ever have her own.

"I would not leave my child in the hands of nannies."

Lilia Crownguard smiled, as if she had expected this turn of conversation. "I am sure. However, as their grandmother, I would be supremely fit to take care of them should either you or my son have to leave Demacia for your diplomatic duties."

"It is much too soon to consider any of this, Mrs. Crownguard." Her voice came rather higher than usual, and she found herself edging closer in her seat to where she knew the door to be, even as her eyes would not move from Lilia's face. The entire concept of children scared her; she could not remember the last time she had been so terrified. Children. Her. Now. Another thought struck her; not only her children, not only her children now, but they would be Garen's children, too. Why had she ever come to tea, if his mother was trying to talk her into having children.

"It is not," Lilia stated plainly. "It is much, much too late already. My son is already of an age to be a father many times over, and you a mother."

"And what if I don't want children? What if Garen does not want children?"

The woman dismissed this idea, too. "Of course you want children. If not now, then soon. As for my son…" She sighed. "You can influence him. I know you do already; why not change the subject? If you wished children, I am sure he would not be averse to the idea."

"But I do not wish for children. Not now, perhaps not ever." The older woman sat stony faced as she continued. "If Garen desires them, then we will talk about it. Until then, I am afraid I must disappoint you, Mrs. Crownguard."

Arriving back at Garen's house, she slammed the door after herself. If the demacian commander had had any servants, surely someone would have come running. As it was, she was profusely glad he had none. She found him where she had expected to find him, sitting at his desk with several stacks of paperwork in front of him. To her dismay, she saw several aides to the prince in the room. Her commander looked up, a small smile playing on his lips; it widened when he saw her expression.

"What did my mother want?"

She leant over the desk, bending so she was nearly face to face with him. He wore that infuriating smirk that she usually loved, but now it served only to annoy her.

"We are never having sex again!"