After months of not writing anything! Here is the next chapter.
I hope you Enjoy.

An Empty Vessel

Mere days after her first mission before she even had time to get over the shock of it all Integra instructed Pip to train Cat in hand to hand combat.

"Why in the world would I need to know how to fist fight someone?!" Cat was outraged at the simple idea of it and unconsciously waved her hand gun around in the air. It was a modest Target Grey Super Redhawk and she had opted for the one in .454 Casull.

"It is necessary despite the fact that you are an excellent shot," Integra warily kept her eye on Cat's gun as she shifted through numerous letters. "Vampires are not the only things you will have to face. There are bad humans in the world as well."

"Yes but," Cat was having trouble finding an argument for this statement. She had experienced first hand that there were bad people in the world and learning to break someone's collar bone with her thumb was starting to sound like a good idea.

"But what Miss Deschain?" Integra stopped shuffling and looked at her seriously. "There is no way out of it you will learn whether you like it or not."

"Yeah alright," she dropped her gun back into its holster with defeat, "but just the basics! I don't want to be out there for weeks and weeks learning some stupid type of karate or some silly thing like that."

"Of course not, now head down to see Pip and he will start teaching you right away. The sooner you learn the sooner you can be done with it," Integra finally selected one of the letters and tore it opened.

Cat watched as she scanned around the page and her face fell into a deep frown. "Is something the matter?"

"No it's nothing, just a letter from someone I know. They're having a party to bring in the fall season and I am required to attend," Integra looked back at the top of the letter to read it in full.

"That's odd for them to tell you about it so early. It's only May," Cat edged closer to the desk interested in what the party would be like.

"They are known for having very extravagant parties and months of planning are necessary," she looked up from the letter, "Go now! It isn't any of your concern, go learn to fight."

Cat pretended to be dying and stumbled out of the room. Once in the hall she walked as slow as she could towards the armory. She had been so happy to be done with gun training and now it was starting all over again. At least she would have something to occupy her time. Walter had told her that missions where she would be needed would most likely be rare so her kitchen duties would continue. Cat had not minded this but in the time between meals she had nothing at all to do.

She dreamily zigzagged down the hall dragging her hand across the smooth wallpaper. She could not help but wonder what Alucard was doing. He had not spoken to her since he had yelled at her and in the evenings when she brought him blood he was never in his room. She would leave it there and when she came back a short time later for the ice bucket it would be gone and he would be no where in sight.

Lucian had been very busy training lately and Walter was always busy cleaning. Cat was quickly becoming very lonely and almost longed to be back at school. She had considered asking Integra if she could go to a school besides her own but had thought better of it. She knew as soon as she started she would begin to tire of it quickly and would sooner not start than start and quit. She enjoyed reading in the library anyway and was learning lots of interesting things about the organization and legends about vampires and other mythical beings.

She sighed as she reached the hall that led to the training fields and rather than go down it she sat down around the corner and stared up at the ceiling. She thought that if she went out in public and hung around coffee shops and internet cafes maybe she would make some friends. She could not imagine herself doing this alone though. Who would want to make friends with a girl who was sitting all by herself? She thought about the money she had been saving up. Integra paid her every week for the work she did in the kitchen and she had given her some extra money for the mission she had completed. It was probably enough to afford a laptop computer. If she had one then it would make sense that she would be sitting at a café alone. Perhaps she would look mysterious or important typing away at her little computer with a hot cappuccino next to her.

She shuddered at the thought of actually drinking coffee. She thought it was disgusting. The shuddered happened to bring her attention to something at the end of the hall. She had never been down this hallway before. In fact she had not bothered to explore any more of the mansion after the first day she had been there.

The curiosity inside of her mind tugged at her sleeve and she slowly stood up to face the hall way.

"Oh, I suppose it couldn't hurt. It's not as though anyone would miss me very much. Not right away at least," she pulled her hair into a ponytail and set off slowly down the long hall trying to make out what it was at the end. It seemed to shimmer and blink the way the road did when it was very hot outside and you were driving on an empty highway. She hastened her step in fear the image would disappear just like the ones on the road when you grew too close. It held steady though and as she neared it became more solid and she could almost make it out. She broke into a run only to stop swiftly thirty feet away.

"You have to be kidding me," she spoke out loud to no one in particular. Cat approached the glinting object that had so captivated her only moments ago. "A fish tank," she bent over so she was eye level with the water, "and more than just that…an empty fish tank." She straightened up and sighed. Things could not always be so amazing in the mansion, but she wished she could catch a break once in a while.

She surveyed the tank from all angles. It was perfectly set up for fish with little plastic plants and stones in the bottom. It was clean as well, like someone had been taking care of it even though it was vacant. She wondered if Walter was the one who took care of it just in case Integra ever went out to buy goldfish on a whim.

"Kitty!" a voice called loudly from behind her. She recognized it without needing to turn around.

"I'm coming Pip!" she took one last look at the lonely fish tank and turned to jog back to where Pip was waiting. She felt sorry for it. It was empty and lonely just like she was. A perfect vessel to be filled with love and friendships, but instead left alone and only kept clean and in working shape.

"What were you looking at down there?" Pip stood on his toes as if being taller would help him see so far away.

Cat turned to look where the fish tank was, but the sun that had been shining through the windows had gone behind a cloud and the tank was no longer visible, "Nothing, I just thought I saw something but I was wrong."

"Well come on Love, Sir Hellsing called to make sure you were down here with me practicing. She said you left her office twenty minutes ago."

"Yeah yeah yeah! Practicing to fight off all those people that are always attacking me," she gave him a shove and danced nimbly out of his grasp.

"You never know Kitty, there's plenty of scum lurking around England."

"Is that how Integra found you and The Wild Geese so easily?" she laughed as he tried to grab her, but she was too quick.

"You're a natural at picking fights but can you defend yourself if you're caught!" he began running after her at full speed and she squealed and ran out the door into the sunlight.