Author's note: I do not own Trinity Blood or its characters. This is set five years after the end of the anime.

In Which the Maid of Honor Does Run Away Temporarily

Caterina was going to go crazy. When she did, she would not be responsible for her actions. They would probably involve someone's death. Weddings clearly induced mental instability. She sighed and set aside the reports she had been reading. Truthfully, most of the bridesmaids weren't that bad, and Esther really was a dear. However, out of the dozen bridesmaids, there were some who were driving her up the wall. And that didn't take into consideration the women who had wanted to be bridesmaids and hadn't been chosen.

She had taken refuge in her paperwork, and that just showed how desperate she was for some peace. She actually had a meeting with all the bridesmaids today, but that wasn't for a few hours, thank God. They were supposed to be discussing the bridal showers and the hen party. It was not something she was looking forward to.

Nearly four hours later, Caterina simply walked out of the meeting not caring that there was still work to be done. She just couldn't take it anymore. The meeting had gone downhill from the beginning. Caterina had been grateful for Asthe's support, but that it just hadn't been enough this afternoon. Squabbles had started up between some of the Methuselah and human bridesmaids, and things had simply escalated. When one of the girls from the Empire had started screaming in her face about her being a filthy Terran and unfit to even breath the same air, Caterina's self control had snapped.

She couldn't remember what she had said, but it had probably been rude. She'd then stalked out of the Vatican after disposing of most of her cardinal's vestments. She didn't quite fit in on the streets of Rome, but a woman in red dress caught less attention than a woman in a red dress, red cape, and ridiculous red hat. Caterina wandered through the city without a real destination. She ended up in the gardens behind the Villa Aldobrandini with a dish of gelato. Caterina sank down onto the grass and sat back to enjoy the sunshine. The lemon gelato was the perfect combination of sweet and tart and was delicious.

It was peaceful out here. Caterina lay back on the grass and closed her eyes. She desperately needed some peace. There was so much on her shoulders right now. She had hoped that peace would bring a respite from dealing with diplomatic crises, but her workload had actually increased. Caterina found it hard to believe she was still a young woman. She felt far older than her real age most of the time. The stress from Esther's wedding wasn't helping either.

As she watched the clouds passing through the sky, Caterina found herself almost dozing off. She was aware of the passage of time as the sun moved through the sky, but she couldn't bother with moving. She was comfortable and saw no reason to change that. The woman had just about fallen asleep when she heard footsteps approaching her. Caterina's view of the sky was blocked by a familiar face.

"There you are, Lady Caterina." Abel smiled down at her. "We were beginning to get worried about you."

When she just sighed and closed her eyes, he sat down on the grass beside her. "Caterina?"

She rolled so that her head was pillowed on his thigh. "I'm not ready to go back yet."

Abel's hand found its way into her hair, and Caterina let out a soft sigh. It had been years since someone had comforted her by stroking her hair or anything like that. From the time that her parents had been murdered, she had had to be an adult despite her age. She let out another sigh.

"I'm just so tired. It never seems to end anymore." Caterina closed her eyes again. "I believe in my work, but it can be incredibly draining, and there never seems to be a break. I never have any time for myself anymore to rest and enjoy something other than work. As much as I love Kate and Havel, they're not my confidents in so many things. There are some things that I just can't tell them. I've really missed you."

The last slipped out unintentionally. Abel's hand paused then moved to trace her cheek. She smiled ruefully up at him. This conversation was skirting dangerously close to the one subject they never discussed. As long as she had known Abel, Caterina had known that he still carried with him the fear and guilt of causing those he cared about danger and death. Between that and the fact that he would outlive most of his human companions, she had known that any attempt a relationship other than friendship was doomed from the start. They both kept a careful distance between each other, reducing temptation. Anything more than friendship between them stayed unspoken.

However, since his return from hunting down Cain, Abel appeared to have healed from some of that. There were other changes in circumstance as well that might effect things as well. Abel smiled.

"I missed you too, Caterina."

They sat like that in comfortable silence for awhile. There had not been much of a chance for time like this since she had created the AX. When they both were younger, Caterina had often stolen away to the nearest garden. Abel had followed, and they would spend afternoons watching the clouds pass by or a fountain burble. It had been a way for Caterina to find some inner peace while dealing with her uncle and the rest of the family.

"Caterina." Abel's voice was gentle. "We can't stay here forever."

She wanted to pout and ask why not. However, she knew perfectly well why not. As much as she wanted to right now, she wouldn't forsake her responsibilities. She forced herself to sit up. Abel's arm came around her shoulders, and she leaned into his support. Caterina rested her head on his shoulder. She still wasn't ready to leave yet. Well, if leaving meant a long hot bath and a cup of Kate's tea, she was, but Caterina doubted that was what was waiting for her.

"You know you can tell my anything, Caterina." Abel's voice was soothing.

She nodded. "I do."

Closing her eyes, Caterina made a decision. She had been dancing around the subject for far too long with him.

"I told you I would tell you the full story about my trip to Byzantium. How about over dinner tonight?"

Abel nodded, rising to his feet. He held out a hand to help her up, and Caterina took it.