Seras sat in the Silver Rolls Royce as it drove through the midnight dark streets of Paris. Lord Hellsing sat beside her, smoking a cigarillo and gazing out the window.
It had been five years since Camilla had left London. She never came back to speak to Hellsing, nor Seras for that matter. Arucard never made mention of it either. Camilla had kept her word, the House of Alexander had left London. The other houses had followed suit shortly thereafter, and in no time, it was business as usual for the Hellsing organization. Seras knew that Hellsing still wore the ring, on a chain around her neck, beneath her daily dress.
The shift had resulted in business as usual to the point that Integral Hellsing retreating firmly back behind her cold, hard exterior. Even to the point that Seras was shut out, although, she kept her word to Camilla, she watched over Lord Hellsing, from the shadows, when she prowled through the manor at night.
A month ago, Altena had approached Seras after one of the missions for the FREAKS. Seras could sense the powerful presence and knew it was not her master, who had dispatched the FREAKS and disappeared.
"I come on behalf of your liege, Camilla." Altena had said.
Seras had startled at the greeting, then remembered there was a ritual around these things. She couldn't remember exactly what should be said by way of response.
Altena had not cared, she delivered her message quickly and then disappeared.
"Lady Camilla extends an invitation to Lord Hellsing to meet at Alexandre Chateau. On the 15th of June, if she chooses not to attend, then that is her discretion. Lady Camilla will only be there that day and that night."
Seras had debated on telling Hellsing, and even whether she should mention it to her master. She had almost not said anything, except she knew, even after all this time, Hellsing would still go to the room, at the other end of the manor, where Camilla and she had stayed during their year together. Seras didn't know what she did, she just knew how often Hellsing's wanderings took her there.
Seras finally told Hellsing and was surprised to find out how calmly Hellsing had listened and responded.
"Of course, have the arrangements made. I will ask you to accompany me in the event this is some kind of trap. Notify Walter of our intent, should anything happen, so he is prepared." Hellsing said, exhaling the smoke from her cigarillo.
Now, here they were, driving through the dark night. Seras sensed Altena moving alongside the vehicle. She could not sense any others, which she thought was somewhat odd.
The car pulled into a driveway, the engine idling as it waited outside the large gates. Soon after the gates opened and the car pulled forward, Seras could no longer sense Altena beside the vehicle. She couldn't sense much of anything.
Integra stepped out of the car. Her heart was pounding despite how calm she appeared on the outside. Altena stood standing outside the main door leading into the chateau.
Seras stepped out behind her she raised her eyebrow when she saw Altena standing there.
"Lord Hellsing, Lady Camilla extends her appreciation. If you will please enter, right through the foyer is the dining room. She is waiting for you there." Altena said, bowing her head slightly.
"May I check the area?" Seras asked, she did not want to send Lord Hellsing into a trap.
"Of course." Altena nodded and stepped aside.
Seras walked through the door and moved into the foyer. She still couldn't sense anything in the large house. She moved through the foyer, a short hallway and walked into the dining room. She saw the figure standing by the roaring fire. When the figure turned, Seras was looking at Camilla staring back at her.
"I am glad to see you." Camilla smiled as she spoke.
Seras smiled in response. Camilla. It was really Camilla, from the warmth in her eyes, to that smile, that beautiful smile.
"Thank you Lady Camilla, I had to make sure the area was safe." Seras replied.
"The chateau is safe hence, you cannot use your powers, you cannot sense us. Five different mages guilds placed protections on this house, the last being the guild that healed me. None of the council know of this house, none of the elders. It is registered to an eccentric computer mogul. Fascinating how many of those individuals came into such sudden fortunes." Camilla said conversationally.
"I wondered about that. I will inform Lord Hellsing…" Seras paused and then said.
"She will be glad to see you." Before she walked out.
Camilla watched her go, surprised at the sense of relief she felt. Especially when Seras said that Hellsing was here. Camilla's first thought when she saw Seras was that Seras had been sent with some polite but firm declination of the invitation.
Camilla watched as Integra came through the hallway and into the room. She was still as beautiful as Camilla remembered. She had waited for this day since she had left Integra. Even as she worked to create this place, as safe as she could make it, she had no idea if Integra would accept the invitation.
Integra stopped just inside the dining room. Camilla, standing by the fire, gazing at her, Integra felt the pull in her stomach, seeing Camilla looking at her with those eyes.
"Lord Hellsing, thank you for coming. I wasn't sure that you would." Camilla said, smiling.
"I wasn't sure that I would either, quite honestly. I am still angry with you." Integra replied, resisting the urge to smile back.
"You have every right to be angry with me. My display successfully headed off several considerations of attacks against you and your organizations. No point in going after just a simple dalliance that was over." Camilla answered, her smile waning slightly.
"Can I offer you some tea? There is some food as well, in the kitchen, if you are hungry." Camilla moved towards the table, where the tea set sat. She wanted to keep the table between them because she wanted more than anything to wrap her arms around the blonde woman.
"Coward." Integra said, not moving from her position.
"Yes." Camilla answered, looking back up.
"Your whole life, a lifetime of centuries, and you run away from me? You bow before the pressures of what might happen to me instead of loving me?" Integra gave voice to the things that she had mulled over in the long nights since Camilla had left her.
"I never stopped loving you. It was not an action I took lightly. But as I said, I would rather…"
"Have had me alive and hating you than loving you and dead because of it. I know. You never asked me what I wanted. You never asked me how I felt about the risk. You don't think I hadn't thought about the balance of risks and the rewards of being loved by you? Did you ever ask me what I wanted? Instead, you blindsided me and left. Left without even telling me goodbye." Integra interrupted Camilla, finally moving towards the table.
Camilla didn't reply, she didn't want to answer. She had no answer, she didn't discuss it with Integra because she knew that she could talk her out of it.
"So why did you call me here?" Integra asked, sitting down in the chair, watching Camilla. Just being near her again, seeing her so close, her heart was pounding in her ears. As angry and hurt as she had been, still was, Camilla, here and now was all she wanted.
Camilla sat across from Integra. She didn't want to answer, she didn't want to talk, she wanted to stare and drink her fill of the presence of the other woman. So long she had envisioned this moment, she wanted to burn the image of the woman across from her into her mind.
Integra gazed back coolly. She could feel the intensity of Camilla's gaze upon her and despite herself, she felt her pulse quickening beneath that gaze.
Moments passed, before Integra finally raised one brow quizzically. Camilla smiled warmly in response.
"Forgive me, I was…I had forgotten how you could render me speechless with just a glance." Camilla said.
"And I had forgotten how shamelessly flattering you could be." Integra answered.
"There is nothing shameless in flattering the beauty of the sun, or the moon or the night sky." Camilla winked.
"Your silver tongue is still as adept as ever. Why did you ask me here?" Integra asked again.
Camilla paused, and then, as she had imagined so many times, the words fell from her lips.
"I dare you."
Integra looked at her. She wanted to stay angry she wanted to hold onto that hurt, instead Integra smiled as she stood from her seat. She walked around the expanse of the table, as she neared Camilla, she spoke.
"You dare me? What do you dare me to do? Do I dare to…" She paused as she stood before Camilla. She gazed down into those dark eyes, she had missed her so much.
"Do this?" She whispered as she bent down and placed her lips against Camilla's own. Camilla sighed, as she tasted the sweet tenderness of Integra's lips.
"Or this?" Integra asked as she lowered herself down and trailed kisses along Camilla's neck.
Camilla reached and twined her fingers into the long blonde hair and directed Integra back towards her lips.
"I dare you to do all of it." Camilla whispered before covering Integra's lips with her own.
"This doesn't mean I forgive you." Integra whispered in between the kisses.
"I know." Camilla murmured back.
"I'll let you figure out how you're going to make it up to me." Integra said smiling.
"Let me show you." Camilla said, standing and swooping Hellsing into her arms and carrying her off towards one of the rooms on the main floor.
*-*-
Integra stretched in the luxurious bed. She reached over and wrapped her arms around the still figure of Camilla. She had wanted to stay angry but could not, all she wanted was to make up for the last 5 years that she had not been able to kiss, or touch or hold Camilla.
Camilla opened her dark eyes and smiled as she saw Integra's blue eyes gazing down at her.
"I have waited every day and night for the last 5 years for this moment." She said, smiling as she leaned up to kiss Integra.
"Just this moment? I thought there were several moments last night you might have been waiting for." Integra murmured into the kiss.
"You know me too well my love." Camilla responded.
Integra pulled back and stared at Camilla. "So well that I know that as lovely as last night was, this was not a true reunion was it?"
Camilla sat up, the sheet falling away from her torso. Integra noticed that the scars were all but invisible on her alabaster flesh. The light caught the delicate chain around her neck. Both women had laughed at the ring the other wore on a chain around their necks.
"Ever the pragmatist. Yes, you are right, I had this place, and several others, shielded in as many ways as I could think of and more. Is it so wrong to wish that I can at least spend some time with the woman I love? Away from prying, vengeful jealous eyes?" Camilla asked softly. She knew that she had no real future to offer Integra, so long as they each bore the responsibilities of their positions.
Integra sat up and wrapped her arms around Camilla's shoulders. She placed her head against Camilla's lean muscled back.
"I will take what time I can steal with you. I have missed you with every breath the last 5 years. I think I have quite a bit of holiday time accrued." Integra responded.
Camilla clasped Integra's hands in her own. "You give me more than I deserve."
Integra began to slide her hands down towards Camilla's chest. She repositioned herself so she was sitting beside the vampire woman. "I don't think we have discovered what all I can give you." She said with a wink.
"Is that a fact?" Camilla replied, her own hands beginning their own movement.
"Oh yes…Absolutely." Integra said, leaning forward to kiss Camilla again.