Long chapter! I don't have much going on with Cat for the near future so does anyone have any requests or something they would like to see incorporated?

Tea with the Queen

Cat had decided not to mention the vampire girl to anyone, not even Alucard. She thought that it would only stir things up and she did not want to upset anyone when it was getting so close to Integra's wedding.

A week after the incident Cat had gone to the library on a very stormy evening to snoop about. She wondered if the girl would still be watching in such terrible weather.

Sure enough as soon as she set to work looking for something specific and thinking about what she wanted to find she spotted a blur of white from the corner of her eye. She looked over and saw the girl standing at the library window that faced out to the garden. She looked at her for a moment and then shrieked when she realized the library was three floors up and the girl was floating in the air. She jammed the book she had been holding back on the shelf and ran out of the library and back to her room.

She did not go snooping again.

Now it was only a month until the wedding and Integra had been flustered for two days straight.

Cat woke up in the morning to find a note on her bed side table. It simply read See to Integra and the note was signed at the bottom with an elegant W. Cat dressed quickly in her white dress and put on a pair of flats that were decorated with a sailor motif. She knew why Integra was so flustered and she assumed Walter meant for her to help.

Integra had gotten a letter from the Queen a few days earlier requesting her presence in the royal garden for tea and an afternoon of wedding planning and the trying on of many dresses. It went without saying that tea with the Queen and trying on filly things was not Integra's…well, cup of tea.

Cat went quickly down the halls that wove to Integra's office and knocked on the door briskly.

"Who is it!" Integra yelled with near hysterics.

Cat opened the door slowly and poked her head inside, "It's me. I've heard from a reliable source that you could use some help." She slid into the room and snapped the door shut behind her.

"Are you going to go with me?" Integra was sitting at her desk in a simple blue dress and was attempting to put on eyeliner.

"If you don't mind and I don't think the Queen will mind. She did say that she wanted to meet me again in a more private setting. We can kill two birds with one stone," Cat walked over and took the eyeliner out of her hands, "Tip your head and look up."

"I'm sure she won't mind either, but it's going to be so boring. Are you sure you want to come?" she blinked her eyes and wrinkled her forehead.

"Hold still won't you? It won't be boring if it's the both of us there and it will make things less awkward. What would you personally talk about with her by yourself? But with someone else there the conversation will be much more interesting," Cat finished lining her eyes and picked up a tube of mascara.

"Oh not that too," Integra groaned.

"Yes, this too. If you're going to look nice you may as well go all the way," Cat blotted the end of the mascara on a tissue and pushed Integra's head back into place.

"I'm going to have to make a guest list you know? I suppose it will be mostly people the Queen invites. You will be invited of course and Walter and Ferguson. I suppose I will have to invite Pip or he will cause a fuss. I'm going to have to try on dresses too. This is all so overwhelming I don't see how you do it," Integra fluttered her eyes to dry the mascara.

"What do you mean you?" Cat looked at her accusingly.

"Well you know what I mean. Girls in general," she stood up and pushed all of her papers into a drawer.

"Well then you mean to say how do they do it, because I am not included in any of that. I don't plan on ever getting married. I just don't see the point," Cat followed her out of the office and down the hall.

"Don't you want to have children?" Integra began to fiddle with her hair and Cat slapped her hand away.

"Yes, but I don't have to be married to do that. I can just have a boyfriend forever just like Gene Simmons! Other than for taxes I don't see what the point of getting married is. I'm above all of that sentimental 'for the purposes of being legally recognized as a joined couple' mumbo jumbo," she flipped her head over as they walked and ruffled her hair hoping it looked presentable enough.

"You're lucky enough to have a choice about it. If I had the choice I would probably not get married either," Integra sigh and they proceeded down the stairs.

"Don't you like Sir Hunton though?" Cat looked over at her a little worried.

"Yes, I like him fine. There is technically nothing wrong with him I just don't know him. It's very awkward having to marry someone you don't even know and then to be expected to have children with them," she visibly shuddered, "It's nearly too much to be asked for."

"Well, have you ever?" Cat hopped down the last few stairs and looked at her.

"Have I ever what?" Integra headed for the front door and opened it to watch for the car.

"You know…have you ever…," Cat looked at her again expectantly.

"Have I ever what!" Integra shook her head in confusion.

"Oh common! Have you ever…!" Cat raised her eyebrows briskly up and down.

"Do you mean...."

"Yes!"

"No! Oh good God in heaven no! Are you being serious? With who! Who do I even know!" Integra went quickly outside like she did not want Cat to answer.

Cat walked after her and shut the front door behind them, "I don't know. You know Alucard."

"Katherine Deschain," Integra turned and gave her a most sinister stare.

"Oh, I'm only kidding! I know that that's silly I'm just taking your mind off things. I'm sure you've forgotten all about tea now," Cat giggled.

"I had until you mentioned it again. I can't believe you could even think up that as a joke. You spend too much time with that vampire. You're starting to think like him," Integra pulled a watch out of her pocket and tapped her foot, "That car had better be here soon."

"Nonsense. I haven't been around Alucard in nearly a month," Cat sighed.

"Don't you stay up late? You must see him when you're in the library or the halls?" Integra pulled out a very compact phone and dialed a number.

"Sure I see him, but we don't talk. He doesn't even acknowledge that he sees me," she tried to think back to the last time she had even seen him in the halls. It must have been over a week ago now.

"Did something happen between you two?" Integra listened to her phone ring and then yelled into it as soon as it stopped, "Where is my car!"

"What do you mean did something happen? He's a vampire and I'm a girl remember? All laws of nature say that we shouldn't associate at all. You just said yourself that I spend too much time with him," Cat fiddled with her shoes and pouted a bit.

"You two seemed like you had a relationship for a time. Not like that, don't look at me that way. More like a business partnership I suppose. You're friendly to each other, which is strange for Alucard, and you worked well together. You know exactly what I mean quit scowling," she snapped the phone shut and huffed.

"Yeah, I guess I do. I don't know what happened. Maybe it was because Seras was here and he realized I'm just a human. She said they were talking about me, but she didn't tell me what about," the car finally made it around the corner and Cat followed Integra down the steps.

"Maybe she was only teasing you. I think she was a little jealous. She felt like Alucard had replaced her with another helpless human, but instead of turning you he preserved you. She never really wanted to be a vampire I think. It was just something that was necessary for her to survive," Integra opened the car door herself and motioned for Cat to get inside.

"He didn't preserve me I preserved myself. He would have shot me if I hadn't said anything. Would he have gotten into trouble if he had made me a vampire?" Cat scooted to the other side of the car and Integra climbed in after her and slammed the door.

"To the palace and hurry up you're already late! Oh, he would have gotten into some sort of trouble. We try not to recruit minors," she looked at Cat and smiled.

"Ha, maybe not to your vampire ranks, but certainly to your army," Cat laughed loudly at the joke.

The driver, who worked for the Queen and not for Hellsing, turned the thirty minute ride to the castle into a ten minute one. They careened around corners and Cat found herself holding onto the car doors helping handle more than once.

They finally arrived safely at the palace unscathed and the driver rushed around to open the door.

"Well we certainly made good time," Integra wobbled out of the car and straightened her dress.

"Yeah," Cat stumbled out as well, "great time."

The driver bowed to them both and then got back in the car and sped off.

"How odd," Cat looked around, but there was no greeter or butler to be seen.

"It is odd. Usually someone is here. Perhaps we aren't expected until later? Maybe I read the letter wrong," Integra walked up to the palace door and stared at it.

"Should we knock? We must be on time because the driver was sent to get us. It's like 2 o'clock already," Cat pressed her finger against the door to see if it would give way like in the horror movies when everyone has been murdered.

"I'm going to knock," Integra stated.

"Then do it," Cat looked at her like knocking was a challenge.

"I will," she raised her fist up to the door and then dropped it again, "Maybe I should just call inside."

"Bagauk!" Cat stuck her thumbs under her arms and flapped her elbows.

"Did you just make…a chicken noise?" Integra had begun to dial her phone when the door was yanked opened.

Cat was still doing a chicken impression and she jumped in surprise at the scraping sound it made

"Oh dear, how long have you been standing here?" a plump woman in a classic maids uniform ushered them inside.

"Not long. Were we expected much later?" Integra followed the woman who was walking quickly down the hall that they had followed to the ball room a month ago.

"No no, we were just all side tracked. Her Majesty wanted everything to be set up and ready for you, but we got off to a slow start this morning. This way this way," she led them through a side door and then down another hall.

"Are we going out to the garden?" Cat had always wanted to see the royal garden, but it was nearly cold enough to snow and she was wearing a summer dress.

"Oh good gracious no child! Her Majesty would catch her death out there," she knocked on a wooden wall panel as they walked by, "You'll be having tea with her in the sun room. It's the next best thing when it's too cold for the garden," she pulled aside a thick curtain they had come to and gave Cat and Integra a small push through the entrance.

Cat oohed at the lovely site before her. The ceiling and walls of the room were completely made from many class panels that formed into a gigantic dome. Outside there were tropical plants and trees and vines that surrounded the dome so it looked as though they were in a jungle. Inside there were exotic flowers like orchids hanging all over the place and there were many potted plants sitting all about. Cat could even spot a few terrariums with lizards and frogs inside. The Queen was sitting at a small table set for three in the middle of everything. To the side of the table was a rack full of white dresses and a curtain set up in a square so someone could go behind it to change.

"It's about time," the Queen looked up from the scone she had been tinkering with.

"Pardon our lateness your Majesty," Integra approached the Queen and curtsied and Cat followed her lead.

"You are pardoned. Now sit down so we can get started," she reached for the teapot without waiting for the maid and poured herself some tea.

"I hope it's alright that I've brought along Miss Deschain," Integra pulled Cat by her arm so that she was more in front of the Queen in case she had not noticed her.

"Yes, fine. I've already had a place set for her," the Queen waved her hand at the seat to her right.

"How did you know I would come?" Cat plunked down in the chair and was immediately stabbed in the ribs by Integra's finger, "Ouch!"

Integra mouthed your Majesty.

"I saw that," the Queen bit into her scone, "I knew your mother. You are the same as her. I assumed you would feel the need to help out," she paused and took a sip of tea, "Also, Walter called me."

At this Cat burst into laughter. She felt much more comfortable with the Queen if she could think of her as a normal person and not as the Queen of all England.

"Go on now, eat and drink because we have business to attend to. We must make a guest list first so that invitations can be made and mailed out by the end of today. I have already made a list of people who must attend so you only have to look over it and add the people you would like to attend," she reached underneath her pink pill box hat and pulled out a folded piece of paper.

"Oh, Mum," Cat heard the maid sigh from somewhere behind them.

"They think I can't do things on my own. Because of my age you see?" she winked at Cat, "Look this over quickly Integra. There are sixty-five guests. I've left you room to invite ten more people."

"I'm not sure if I even know ten people that I would personally want to invite. Do you have a pen?" she unfolded the paper and started to scan through the names.

"Who do you think she'll invite?" the Queen picked up another scone and took a bite.

"Me of course and Walter, Pip and Ferguson. I can't think of anyone else she knows," Cat looked over at Integra and saw her write down the names she had just listed.

"Are you going to invite Alucard?" the Queen eyed Integra slyly.

"Oh," she looked up from the paper with a start, "Well, I hadn't thought of it. I don't know that he will want to come and I'm sure we'll be safe. There's no risk of an attack during the day."

"I think you should invite him. I like to see the way people react. Most of them don't know he's a vampire you know? Just the Knights and I and you lot. It's fun to listen in on their conversations. They try to figure out where he is from and who he is. He can be your date Katherine," the Queen nearly giggled herself off her chair.

Cat sighed, "Alucard is always my date."

"You're both so cynical you make a perfect match," Integra laughed and wrote Alucard's name on the list.

"Is that it then? Margot? Margot?" the Queen called for her maid.

"Yes, Mum?" the maid had been attempting to catch one of the frogs in the terrarium and she rushed over while brushing her hands off on her apron.

"Will you take this list to Reginald and have him take care of the invitations? I want them sent out today," she held the list out for Margot.

"Yes, Mum," Margot took the paper and strolled out of the room.

"Now that that is taken care of we can get down to the fun part. It is time to pick a dress! I have gotten your measurements from Walter and I put the word out to some top designers. They all sent enough to fill a whole rack so you have plenty to choose from," she waved her hand and Integra took it as her queue to get busy.

She pulled one of the dresses off the rack and went behind the curtain to change.

"How are you doing Katherine?" the Queen turned her attentions toward Cat as soon as Integra was out of sight.

"I'm doing good," she bit into a cookie.

"No problems at that house I hope?" the Queen picked up a cookie as well and bit into it.

"No, is there something specific I should be looking for?" Cat cocked her head.

"Just anything you find to be unusual," the Queen stirred some more milk into her tea.

Cat laughed, "Everything there is unusual."

The Queen chuckled as well, "That is true. Anything out of the norm then. Or anything that you feel might affect you."

Cat thought for a moment about the girl. If she told the Queen about her then she would have to also tell her why she came and that would lead to why Cat was in the library, "No, nothing out of the norm, for the Hellsing estate anyway."

"Good. If anything should happen don't hold your tongue. Contact me immediately," she nodded at Cat and looked back towards the curtain.

Integra came out from behind it wearing a mermaid style dress that was not lacking in frills, lace or beading.

"Oh dear," the Queen wrinkled her nose.

"Is this some sort of joke?" Integra looked down at the dress with disgust.

"If it is it's a great one," Cat clapped her hands.

"You better pace yourself with those snide remarks. I have an entire rack to go," she made an obscene hand gesture while the Queen had her nose in her teacup and went back behind the curtain.

It took the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening to finish trying on the dresses and retry on the ones that had not been immediately thrown aside. Integra finally settled on one that both Cat and the Queen agreed was the most flattering. It was simple, but elegant and its shape was similar to Cinderella's classic ball gown. After some talk about how her hair would be styled and where Cat would go to find a dress because she would be a brides maid they said their goodbyes and left.

The ride home was a quiet one and lasted much longer than the one there because of the traffic. Cat dozed against the window and Integra stared out hers and nodded off now and again.

They were almost to the house when Integra poked Cat awake, "Look. It's starting to snow."

Cat looked out the window and watched the tiny white dots float down in swirls and flurries, "I wonder if it will snow at your wedding."

"That would be nice. It's inside anyway so it wouldn't hinder us. Maybe it would hinder some guests though and they wouldn't be able to make it," she smiled hopefully.

"When is Alex going to move in with us?" Cat scooted away from the window and shivered.

"I supposed after the wedding. Did I tell you I have to go on a honeymoon? For at least a week. I think we are going to Japan," she made a face that showed she could do with or without a honeymoon.

"You should make the best out of it. Just have fun in Japan rather than feel pressured to have fun on your honeymoon. You know what I mean?" Cat tapped her foot impatiently. She was getting cold and tired.

"Yes I know what you mean. Will you be alright here by yourself?" Integra looked at her without much concern.

"I won't be by myself. That house is always full of so many people. Half the time I don't even know who's there."

Sorry for my cruddy ending. I got tired. Could is be foreshadowing? Who knows.

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