Chapter 19

The Dream Continues

As she neared the entrance to their chamber, Catherine heard the strains of a Strauss waltz drifting down the passageway. Mixed with the melody were childish giggles. Silently, she crept to the door and peered inside. The tableau before her filled her heart with love and her eyes with tears.

In the center of the room she saw an immense man dancing with a very tiny girl. In the tradition of fathers and daughters throughout the ages, Vincent was dancing slowly around the room with Angel's small feet planted squarely on top of his very large boots. The source of the giggles was a large chair where Angel's twin brother, Jacob, was watching with amusement.

Vincent glanced in Catherine's direction as her swell of emotion reached him. A slight smile and a surge of warmth through the bond acknowledged her presence without announcing her appearance to the little ones. At the conclusion of the song, Angel backed away from her father and curtsied with the formality of a cotillion debutante, causing her mother to smile. Vincent returned the courtesy with a courtly bow and then swung his daughter up into a gigantic hug, producing squeals of delight. Catherine's applause announced her entrance into the cozy room, and she stooped to accept the welcoming hugs of her little ones. Rising, she was drawn into the warm embrace of the man of her dreams, knowing that now she was truly home.

"Again, Daddy," begged Angel , jumping up and down.

"Me, too. Me, too," piped Jacob.

Catherine laughed as her husband cocked his head in a questioning look. At her nod, he rewound the music box and bowed low to his charming young daughter, Jacob copying the motion in the direction of his mother. Catherine and Angel curtsied formally, and the two mismatched couples began their waltz, Angel once again on Vincent's boots and Jacob with just his toes on Catherine's feet. At the end of the dance, Vincent rewound the music box and bowed to his wife. As the two youngsters giggled and clapped their hands, their parents glided gracefully around the chamber, each remembering their first waltz in the Great Hall.

Ending the dance, Vincent swept Catherine to him in a passionate kiss, causing more giggles from the toddlers. As they parted, they heard a 'hrmmp' from the entrance and turned to see Father and Geoffrey standing there. The two laughing children ran to hug their grandfather's legs.

"Careful, don't knock your grandfather over," Catherine admonished.

"May we help you, Father?" Vincent inquired.

"I was wondering if these two rascals would care to hear a story? We are preparing to read Winnie-the-Pooh."

"Pooh, Pooh," the excited youngsters exclaimed, jumping up and down. "Pease"

Catherine smiled as Vincent nodded his approval.

"Be good for your grandfather." she said as she kissed them. Geoffrey took the tots by the hand and started for Father's study.

"You can stop by for us on your way to supper," Father commented as he left the chamber. "I'm certain that you can find something to fill the time."

"I'm sure we can, too," Catherine replied, laughing at the 'hrmmp' that echoed back down the passageway. Turning toward her husband she commented, "You know, I think he thinks we spend every free minute in bed. Not that that's such a bad idea, mind you, but still."

Vincent took her hand, drawing her to the sofa. Settling comfortably, he looked at her intently and was bathed in the love and happiness washing over him through the bond.

"You saw Peter." It was a statement, rather than a question.

"Yes, I saw Peter." Her smile seemed to light the room. "I was right, I'm pregnant again! I'm ten weeks along, and everything seems fine. He wants to see me in a month and we'll do the ultrasound. He'll arrange it in the evening so you can be there again."

She could feel his excitement. Vincent had been present at the second ultrasound done during her first pregnancy. She had shown him the pictures from the first procedure, but being there in person, actually seeing the two lives inside of her, had filled him with awe.

"Do you want to tell Father this evening?" she asked, and he nodded. "I think that this time it'll be a surprise."

Vincent chuckled. "Perhaps." He glanced around. "I think that we are going to need more room. After we announce our news, I'll discuss the arrangements with Kanin. Have you told Joe yet?"

"No, this time you're the first to know." Catherine gave him a cheeky smile. "It helps to be the boss, or at least one of them." She knew that Joe would be happy for her. Their friendship had deepened since he and Vincent had become friends. And the firm was large enough now that she could take some time off without any problems -- in a little over a year their client base had grown to the point where they’d hired two more senior attorneys and three just out of law school, as well as a half dozen paralegals and secretaries. Besides, she spent most of her time doing legal work for their Helpers or assisting Luz in the pro bono work.

She glanced at the mantle clock. "We have over half an hour before dinner. Do you have any ideas on how we might fill the time?" Her fingers played with the fringe ties on his vest, her head snuggled against his shoulder.

"I could read to you."

"Uh, huh."

"Or, you could tell me about your day." A small smile crept across Vincent's face.

"Uh, huh." The ties on the vest seemed to have worked themselves loose and Catherine's fingers began to play with the buttons on his shirt.

"Or, we could dance some more." Vincent's clawed fingers began to make fiery trails up and down Catherine's arm.

"Uh, huh." Slim little fingers managed to worm their way under the front of his shirt, entwining themselves in the amber curls on his broad chest.

"Or," he hesitated, and she looked up to see what he was going to say. Instead of finishing his sentence, he bent his head to kiss her waiting lips.

As their lips parted her dreamy, half-closed eyes gazed into his as she whispered, "Definitely, 'or'. After all, we wouldn't want to disappoint Father. If we're too late, he'll take the children on to dinner."

####

It was eight o'clock in the evening. Catherine and Vincent were staring at the screen in amazement as Peter ran the ultrasound transducer over her swollen belly. As he worked, he heard a low laugh come from Cathy. As they finished up, her laughter had taken hold to a full-scale set of giggles. The two men turned to look at her as tears escaped the corners of her eyes and rolled down the side of her face into her ears. Shaking her head at the feeling, she sat up and took Vincent's hand. His eyes questioned her.

"I was just thinking, it seems we're destined to have litters." She brought his hand to her mouth and kissed its furry back. "I love you, Vincent." The amusement in her voice could not hide the love that was projected behind each word.

He raised her hands to his lips. "And I, you, my beloved." He smiled at the happiness that he felt from her; true, unadulterated joy engulfed him through the bond. He was helping her from the examining table when he continued, "We may be having triplets but I believe Father shall have a cow." At that she totally lost it -- all control she had gained over her laughter fled, and he found himself holding her tightly in his arms so that she would not fall to the floor.

His laughter joined hers as he settled her in a chair. Handing her some tissues, he knelt beside her as they shared their joy. Her hand cradled his cheek as she willingly drowned in the dark depths of his eyes. She leaned forward and tenderly kissed his lips.

They had neared the home chambers when a thought occurred to her. She looked up at Vincent with a mischievous look. "I just realized something. Do we want one big explosion or two smaller ones?"

"Catherine?"

"Well, shall we tell Father and Kanin together or individually? With three more on the way, our chambers are going to have to be a lot bigger."

His low, throaty chuckle sent a tingle through her. "Joe and Lena are coming down tomorrow for dinner, perhaps we should just tell everyone at the same time."

She nodded. "And then, when Devin hears about an earthquake in New York, he'll know that something has happened. I guess I'd better invite Jenny down too. She won't want to miss out on this."

###

As with her first pregnancy, Catherine had been lucky enough to avoid morning sickness. However, though she had gotten large with the twins, carrying the triplets, she seemed to grow exponentially. Vincent assured her that she was mistaken, but she felt as if she looked like a whale lumbering along.

Catherine, Vincent and the twins moved into the brownstone while their chambers were being enlarged. In addition to three more bedchambers, an office and a private bathing pool were being added to their "suite". Cullen joked that if Vincent's family kept growing at the current pace, they would have to dedicate an entire level to the Wells clan.

Catherine laughed but knew that this would be the end of their family. She was getting older, and five children were plenty -- even with all of the help they received in taking care of them from those Below. She and Vincent had discussed the situation, and after the birth she would have a tubal ligation done to prevent further pregnancies. Vincent had offered to have a vasectomy, but as neither Peter nor Father felt qualified to do the procedure, this was the safest alternative.

Once again Catherine worked from the library at home. She was glad that her caseload was light as she tired easily. After a month, her work consisted of the occasional legal question by one Helper or another, and she found herself with a lot of time on her hands.

Because of the delicate nature of her condition, Vincent arranged for someone to stay with her in the house whenever he couldn't be present. Brooke or Jamie normally volunteered and took care of the twins for Catherine. After she no longer had work to fill her time, she was glad of the frequent company of Lena Maxwell.

In February, the house to the right of the brownstone had gone on the market. Joe, on the lookout for a home and impressed by Cathy's neighborhood, had bought it immediately. Very little modification had to be made to the structure, with the exception of a basement entrance to the tunnels, and so it was ready to move into when he and Lena married in April.

Lena had gotten pregnant two months before Cathy, and though she was only expecting one child, she was glad to avoid the long, daily walk to the hub. They both missed seeing their Below family as often, but the long trek with its steps and inclines was wearing on pregnant bodies. They did make it down at least once a week for Saturday dinner and the story hour, and many of their friends took the time to visit Above.

One chilly afternoon the two expectant women sat in front of a cozy fire, sipping their herb tea and nibbling on William's oatmeal cookies. They chatted pleasantly and Catherine commented on the contentment of her friend.

"Oh, Cathy, I can't believe how happy I am. I keep expecting to wake up and find it's a dream. I love Joe so much it's scary."

"I'm really happy for you both. Joe's a special friend, and you're good for him. I don't think I've ever seen him so relaxed and cheerful. Of course, lately his new father jitters have been driving me crazy."

"You? How about me? Though it is sweet how considerate he is." Lena's face became dreamy thinking about her new husband.

"How're you doing with Momma Maxwell and clan?" Catherine knew that Lena had been nervous about meeting the Maxwells. She also knew that, although Joe was very close to his family, he wouldn't let their feelings about Lena affect his.

"Oh, we're doing fine. They were shocked that he announced our engagement before they had a chance to meet me, but they've always made me feel welcome. His mother loves little Caty and is spoiling her rotten. At least once this little one arrives, all of the attention will spread between two. Also, Joe has curtailed the constant gift-giving by his mother. He's really impressed by the world Below and wants to try to limit the materialism of Above with our kids."

Cathy laughed as she thought about her friend and business partner. If his family wouldn't have gotten suspicious, she thought he'd have moved Below after the wedding. As it was, she was happy to have him for a neighbor. She joked to Lena that their small block was becoming an aboveground enclave of tunnel folk.

In June the house to the left of Cathy's had gone on the market. This was one of the many brownstones on the Upper West Side that had been remodeled into apartments, but the management had been poor and the rents had been high, causing continual vacancies. Cathy had bought the building in a flash for a reasonable price. One of the Helpers, Ernie Lee, was an incredible handyman, but had found himself out of a job when the building he worked in was demolished for a new high-rise. She hired him as the super, knowing that he was trustworthy and hardworking. The building consisted of two large apartments and four smaller ones. Ernie moved into one of the smaller apartments on the first floor and the other flats had been rented to Helpers and tunnel alumni. The basement, which had been renovated as the super's living area by the previous owner, was to be left vacant as access to the tunnels.

The house behind her, the only other one in the block with a view of her back yard, was owned by an elderly couple. She had contacted them about selling it, and they had called last month to accept her offer. She was excited that by the time the weather was nice, her children would be able to play safely in the back yard . . . in the sunshine.

####

Vincent and Peter sat talking quietly. Cathy, who’d just awoken from one of her many naps, followed the soft tones to the library. The two men looked up as she entered the room. Vincent went to help her into the wingback chair while Peter watched with fondness.

"What are you two plotting?" Catherine asked teasingly. The look the men gave each other made her realize that they were truly up to something.

"Cathy, I'm worried about the delivery," Peter began. "Triplets tend to come early and I'm concerned about you being Below without adequate medical equipment. I could get incubators but the tunnels really don't have the stable power supply needed."

Catherine could see the concern in Vincent's face, and feel it touch her heart. "But I can't go to a hospital, Peter, you know that."

"Yes, but you could have the babies here. Father and Mary could be here and it would be easier to contact me, having a phone and all. You'd have the same type of delivery as Below but with the availability of the resources Above. In case of emergency, you could also contact Mike to be with you until Father or I arrived."

Mike Matthews, one of her tenants next door, was a doctor, and although obstetrics was not his specialty, he would be able to handle things until help arrived in an emergency. Catherine looked at the two men who were waiting to hear her response to Peter's suggestion. She wanted to be Below among her family, but she understood the concern and realized that the health of the infants must be her first priority. She told Peter to order the equipment and heard Vincent sigh with relief.

She smiled at her husband. "As long as you are with me, I will be fine." He marveled at her love and trust.

####

Winter changed to spring, and spring to summer. Catherine, who until her pregnancy had jogged several miles a day in addition to the long walk from the hub to the house and back, found climbing the stairs to the third floor a chore. She was in her seventh month, and Peter told her to get as much bed rest as possible. When the weather was nice, she spent most of the day sitting in the chaise on the terrace watching the children play with Jamie on the lawn. On the days it was too hot or raining, she laid in bed or on the sofa in the library. She no longer made the weekly trip Below and missed that calm and gentle world. She hated being tired, she hated being fat, and she hated being alone.

Vincent was worried about her spirits. He could feel her depression. The twins kept her company, and she had visits from her friends Below, but it wasn't the same as being there. He thought how ironic it was – he’d worried about Catherine living in the tunnels, giving up her life Above to be with him; but she had loved living Below, and now she was unhappy to be forced to be away from that life. He discussed the situation with Father, and they devised a plan.

Saturday evening, Vincent arrived home early with a delicious dinner from William's kitchen and told her that they were having company later. After eating, he helped her into a pretty maternity dress that Mary had made and settled her on the sofa. She took a short nap while waiting but awoke to the sounds of footsteps on the stairs. Jacob, Angel and Samantha entered and were followed by dozens of her adopted family. Father had even made the long trek and gratefully sat in one of the large chairs. He told her that since everyone missed having her at the story hour, they decided to move it from his library to hers.

Vincent joined Catherine on the sofa and put his arm around her. She looked at all of the loving faces that she hadn't seen in weeks, and tears of joy trickled down her cheeks. He dried the tears and kissed the top of her head as Angel crawled into his lap and Jacob snuggled on his other side. A sense of warmth, love and rightness surrounded her as Father began the story.

####

By the middle of her eighth month, Catherine wasn't sure how she was going to make it through another month and a half of carrying these kids. She felt as if she were going to explode any minute, and her active little ones gave her few reprieves from their kicking and punching. One week they had the hiccups every day, which didn't hurt but was highly annoying. The only time they seemed to calm down was when Vincent was with her. His voice seemed to lull them, letting their weary mother rest.

Peter kept a close watch on the situation, coming every other day to check on both Cathy and the babies. He was happy with the results: the babies were progressing nicely, and the mother was fine -- for someone carrying triplets. All of the medical equipment they might need had been purchased and was waiting in a second floor bedroom that had been made as sterile as possible. That which couldn't be used Below would be donated to the clinic after the birth.

As summer provided a respite from the leaks and flooding of winter and spring, Vincent was able to spend more time at the house. Father had decided that, unless there was an emergency, Catherine needed him more than any work detail. Vincent was able to entertain the twins, prepare the meals and spend time with his wife. The tunnel children enjoyed coming to the library for their literature classes and usually stayed a while to visit.

Lena would come as often as she could and bring Caty and little Joey. The twins loved to see Caty and were intrigued by the baby. There had been no babies that small in the tunnels during their lifetimes. Catherine tried to explain that there would be three little babies like Joey coming to their family. The 'soon, I hope' was left unsaid, but Lena laughed as the words hung in the air.

#####

At the beginning of the ninth month, Mary moved into the brownstone. She took care of the twins and was available for Catherine. Peter stopped by every day now, and Vincent continued to be at home as much as possible. In her thirty-third week, Catherine began to experience pains that were stronger than Braxton Hicks contractions. She called Peter and explained her symptoms -- he said he'd be right over. Vincent, who had gone Below to confer with Father, felt the new pains, and the two men went to the house as quickly as Father's hip would allow. A short message on the pipes had also brought Samantha who would care for the twins during Catherine's delivery.

Everyone converged on the house at the same time. Peter hooked Catherine to the fetal monitor and assured her that all three babies were fine. Vincent once again went through the pain with his wife and, as the hours progressed, was glad she would be having no more babies. This labor was longer than the first but finally, after twelve hours, the first infant was delivered.

Mary and Father cleaned and checked the baby. As they were swaddling the oldest, the second triplet arrived. Repeating the procedure, they completed their tasks just as the youngest of the three made an entrance. Peter finished taking care of Catherine, and Father announced that all three newborns were perfectly fine.

Exhausted, Vincent and Catherine sat against the headboard of the bed, and their three new arrivals were brought to them. Looking down into their precious little faces, both parents wept with joy.

Catherine nuzzled the pink softness of her youngest daughter and whispered, "It was a tough couple of months, but you're all worth it, sweetheart." The little girl was the image of her mother, except for the sapphire blues eyes that peeked through sleepy lids.

Vincent gazed at his youngest son as he lay in his arms. Golden and downy, he was a tiny replica of his father, down to the brilliant blue eyes that peered up with a look of wonder. Vincent smiled and rubbed the back of his furry finger against the tiny cheek.

Father sat on the other side of Catherine and held the third infant. This was the oldest of the three and, after Jacob, the second oldest son. He was a true combination of his parents. He, too, looked like his father, but had his mother's grey eyes and sandy hair.

Both parents gazed in wonder at the three tiny miracles. Catherine, tears tracing down her cheeks, turned to kiss her husband. No bond was necessary to feel the love between them. His azure eyes glistened with his own tears.

"I love you, Catherine. Thank you for our wonderful children."

She smiled and then looked at the three infants surrounding her. "We do make beautiful children, that's a fact." She looked back at him. "I love you too, Vincent."

######

The family moved Below when the babies were a week old. Vincent carried his wife part of the way as her strength had not returned from the delivery, but she was anxious to be home. A spontaneous welcoming party developed in their new chambers and Catherine was able to thank all of those who had put so much time and love into their enlarged dwelling. Many man-hours had gone into the project and loving touches had been added by all.

The candlelight flickered in their bedchamber as Catherine and Vincent looked down at their little ones. The twins were sound asleep in their own beds, tired from all of the excitement of the day. The triplets had been fed and were finally asleep, and Catherine knew she should be resting as the calm would not last long.

She leaned back into the strong arms of her husband as they gazed at the three tiny forms sleeping peacefully in their cradles. Charles, Joy and Quentin were now officially welcomed into the community. In fact, the party after the naming ceremony was still going on in Father's study, and probably would for some time.

Her arms crossed over Vincent's as he held her, their love almost shimmering in the candle glow. A feeling of poignancy touched Catherine's heart.

"Tell me." His sexy voice still produced chills in her.

"I was just thinking how lucky I've been. When I was a little girl, I wanted the fairy tale. I dreamed that a handsome prince would come and sweep me off my feet and fall madly in love with me. Then, six and a half years ago, he did. He was taller, stronger and more beautiful than I could have imagined, and the love he gave me was beyond my fantasies. Thank you for giving me the fairy tale, Vincent. Thank you for making all of my dreams come true."

His cheek rested on the top of her head. Her heartfelt words touched him deeply, and he sighed.

"When I was small, Father would read us those fairy tales . . . where the prince would rescue the fair maiden, and they'd live happily ever after. Once, at the end of story time, I said that I wanted to grow up to do that -- save the damsel in distress and have her fall in love with me. Several of the older boys heard my comment and laughed, saying that if I did ever save a maiden, she'd probably run away screaming in fear. Devin defended me, but the pain of their words cut deeply, and I suppressed the dream out of shame. Then, on a cold April evening, the dream resurfaced. I saved the fair damsel and, wonder of wonders, she fell in love with me. She took away my shame of being different and gave me a life beyond imagining." She turned in his arms to look into his loving eyes as he continued, "My only wish now is that this dream last a long, long time."

"It will my love. Once upon a dream, there was a handsome prince and a fair maiden, with five little princes and princesses, and they all lived happily ever after. And everyone knows that 'happily ever after' is forever."