Ive been having trouble thinking up ideas so it would be nice to have some thrown out at me. I'd hate to have to give up the story, Ive grown rather fond of it.
Enjoy

Engaged

Cat followed Alucard back down the stairs and out onto the dance floor. She inhaled the warm air that was full of the scent of alcohol and perfume and sighed. The night would be over soon and she would be able to crawl into her comfortable bed and fall asleep content. She smiled up at Alucard and she was treated to a reluctant, but genuine, smile back. She savored the rare moment and watched him walk back to his place against the wall.

"Katherine!" she heard someone urgently whisper. She snapped out of her daze and looked around. Integra was standing by the punch table waving her over. She glanced back at Alucard one last time and saw he had seated himself in a chair and was listening to some lady chatter at him, and then she proceeded towards the punch table.

"Where have you been I've wanted to talk to you," Integra eyed her suspiciously.

"Alucard disappeared somewhere so I went to find him. He was on one of the balconies," Cat spooned some punch out into a cup and took a sip.

"Oh, well I'm quite tired of dancing, will you find a table with me and talk. Sir Hunton is very clingy, but he seemed to be taken with you so I think if he sees us talking he'll leave us be," she led Cat over to a secluded table and sat down.

"So what exactly do you want to talk about?" Cat took another sip of the punch and made a face. She looked into the cup trying to figure out why it tasted funny.

"Anything will do, why don't you start, you're good at it," Integra propped her elbow up on the table and rested her chin in her hand.

"How do you like Sir Hunton?" she sipped the punch once more and cringed, "But first, what is the matter with this punch? It's bitter and kind of burns."

"It's full of scotch," Cat sputtered a mouth full of punch back into her cup, but Integra did not take much notice, "He seems fine I suppose. Like I said before, I would not get married if I did not have to, but I suppose since I do have to it might as well be to him. At least he is not loud like some of the younger men the Queen picked. Being a bit older doesn't bother me much. It only means he'll be all the more help with paper work and things like that."

"I guess so if you look at it that way. I liked him very much and he has a sense of humor which I think is important," Cat moped up the spilled punch with a napkin and smiled, "He likes you enough to be concerned about Alucard."

"Concerned of what?" Integra looked at her with genuine confusion.

"Oh come on now, I know you know what I'm talking about. What do you think he's concerned of!" Cat pursed her lips.

"I have not the slightest idea," but she had started to blush.

"Don't worry, I reassured him that there was nothing to worry about. I said that Alucard had an attachment to you that was simply a master servant kind of thing. He worried that Alucard loved you, but I reminded him that it was not only ridiculous, but impossible. It is very hard to love someone when your heart disappeared so long ago," Cat sighed and looked across the ballroom at Alucard. He was still sitting by the chattering lady, but he was watching her and Integra.

"Did he believe you? I don't think I could handle any fights in my house," she slumped in the chair.

"I think he did for the most part, but you know how boys are. He'll probably always be looking over his shoulder to see if Alucard is sneaking up behind him with the butt of his gun raised and a burlap sack draped over his shoulder," Cat twirled a piece of hair around her finger.

"What!?" Integra nearly jumped out of her chair.

"What? Don't be so jumpy you'll give yourself a stomach ache. Anyway, when are they going to announce it?" she pulled on a carefully crafted curl and watched it spring back into place when she let it go.

"Soon I suppose. You and Alucard can leave after that if you'd like," Integra shuffled her shoes around on the floor.

"You wouldn't mind? I am getting kind of tired and not to mention bored. I thought that a ball would be much more exciting," she swirled the punch around in her cup and took another taste of it.

"You haven't been dancing or talking to anyone except Alucard, of course you're not having fun," Integra stood up and Cat followed.

"I like Alucard. I think he is nice when you get to know him differently," she picked a cookie off the snack table and nibbled the edge.

"Nice? I'll have to talk to him about that. What is it you talk about?" Integra inquired.

"A lot of thing I guess," Cat sighed.

"What were you talking about in the library the night those American vampires came?" Integra pick up and cookie as well and took a bite.

"About Viviana," Cat looked out at the crowd and nibbled her cookie.

"Who is Viviana?" Integra looked at her perplexed.

"Oh…," Cat thought quickly, "this girl I used to know when my parents first died. She was my only friend, but she moved," she took a large bite out of the cookie and avoided Integra's eyes in hopes her lie would suffice.

"Oh," was all Integra said and took another bite from her cookie.

They stood quietly for a while and watched people in the ball room shuffle around and chat with each other. Outside had grown dark by now and the lights in the ballroom had been dimmed to set a more relaxed mood.

"I think the Queen is about to announce it," a deep voice spoke behind Integra and Cat.

They twitched with a start at the unfamiliar sound of it. Not smooth and sinister like the voice they were so used to hearing sneak up behind them, but raspy and warm like someone who would always be glad to see you no matter what mood they were in. Cat turned around and smiled and quickly pinched Integra's arm so she would erase the scowl on her face.

"Hello again Sir Hunton, I'm sorry to have been coveting the company of your soon to be bride. How have you been since we last spoke," Cat smiled at him again.

"Oh I've been dandy. A bit bored, but that's to be expected at such a boring ball. Oh dear! Have I said that aloud? It is much less boring with you ladies around as I suspect my life will very soon be," he placed his hand on the small of Integra's back and smiled endearingly.

"I hope you're right," Cat scowled, "The house has been so boring lately it needs a change."

"Come along then Sir Hunton, the Queen is calling us over," Integra started walking towards the Queen and tugged Cat's arm so she would follow as well.

"Oh please Integra call me Alex or Alexander if you must, at the very least. You as well Katherine, being called Sir Hunton makes me feel so old and I will not have it until the true Sir Hunton is no longer with us," he offered his arm to Cat in a fatherly way and she took it and walked with them to the front of the ballroom.

"I suppose I could call you Alex. It's much less tiring than Sir Hunton anyway. Are you nervous for the announcement?" Cat looked up at him and frowned.

"Oh no of course not, I'm very excited. Why do you ask?" he looked down at her and tried to hide the expression she had already noticed on his face.

"Your hand is all clammy and you're shaking a little," she winked at him, "I won't tell anyone if you call me Cat rather than Katherine. Katherine is such an old name as well."

"It's a deal," he comically wiped his hand off on his pant leg and shook hers.

Now they were to the Queen's platform and she called Integra and Sir Hunton to stand up on either side of her. A server handed her a crystal class and a fork and she stood up and gently tapped on it. It made a tiny dinging noise that could barely be heard over the chatter. Cat saw the Queen sigh and then noticed she had turned her attention to just above her head. Cat turned around and saw that Alucard had come to watch the announcement. He smiled at the Queen and stepped up onto the platform next to her.

He opened his mouth and bellowed out so loudly that the chandeliers could be heard shaking, "The Queen demands the party's attention!"

The entire ballroom went silent immediately and Alucard bowed to the Queen and stepped back down.

"Thank you Alucard, you're such a help to an old woman. Now then, I would like to make the announcement of the engagement of Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing to Sir Alexander Lionel Hunton. They will be wed exactly two months from now on this very date in the court yard. I will now retire to my room and the ball will continue for as long as the guest would like," Cat watched the Queen lean over to one of the guards, "Have them all out of here by two," she whispered and then bowed her head to the guests and left.

Alucard made a huffing sound like he was choking back a laugh, "Now that that is taken care of might we leave?"

"If Katherine would like to leave then you may go as well," Integra stepped down from the platform and braced herself for all the guests that were headed towards her and Sir Hunton.

"Come along Katherine," Alucard took a hold of her arm and started to pull her through the crowd towards the exit.

"What if I wanted to stay longer!" she protested, but continued to let him pull her along just the same. The truth was she did want to leave. She was tired of standing around watching people get drunk and dance with strangers. She would much rather be in the library looking up things that were none of her business.

Once outside Alucard proceeded to pull her down the driveway and haled a cab rather than wait for the driver to come pick them up. The cab driver looked terrified when Alucard opened the door to get in, but he also took notice of where they were coming from and how they were dressed. Alucard told him the address and he sped off down the road cutting off a few cars as he went.

"Why didn't you tell me that Integra didn't know about Viviana?" Cat looked up at him annoyed.

"You did not ask me," he stared out the window and looked bored.

"Well I shouldn't have to ask things like that! I said something to her about it and then had to come up with a lie just in case. I mean I assumed you don't want everyone knowing otherwise she would have known already. I hate to lie," Cat slumped in the seat and frowned.

He smirked at her, "But you are so good at it."

She huffed and looked away from him and out the window. She had more important things to think of right now. She needed to think up questions she could ask him about why they had met before. She would not have thought anything of it, but her dreams would not allow that. It did not seem out of the ordinary to have met someone your parents knew when you were small and then to know them when you were older. It was completely plausible to know Alucard since she had gone into the same line of work. It was normal that she had met him at least once when she was small because her parents had known him. It was unavoidable in fact, so why did she feel like there was more to it then just a coincidental meeting?

She stared out the window and thought about it until she fell asleep. She awoke again when she felt herself being lifted from the car and carried up stairs. She did not bother opening her eyes or moving. She would let him carry her to her room and put her in bed. Tomorrow or maybe the next day she would ask him more questions about it, but tonight she was much too tired for inquiries about the past.

Review Please