A Happy Life

Clairisant

CREDITS: A special thank you to my beta readers Qupeydoll and Vicky.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This story picks up as Catherine is going to tell Vincent about the baby, with a different twist.

Chapter 1

"Vincent, there are so many gifts waiting for you. You just need to open your arms to receive them," Catherine told him. After a pause, when he hesitated to do so, she urged again, "Just open your arms." As soon as he did, she planned to snuggle into his embrace and tell him that they were going to have a baby. It was the perfect opportunity she thought as she waited.

An opportunity that never came. Instead of opening his arms, Vincent crossed them and turned away from her, shaking his head. He walked across his chamber until he reached his bed and then slowly turned back to face her. "No Catherine, there are no gifts. You need to go back Above and find the life I stopped you from having."

She interrupted him, "No Vincent! Not after all we’ve been through! You’re not really trying to send me away again!"

"Catherine, it is because of all we’ve been through. No one should have to endure what we have. You must go," he stated firmly.

"I won’t! You sent me away twice before and each time you promised that you would never do it again! Vincent, I love you! You are my life! And I have a gift for you…"

This time it was he that did the interrupting, "I don’t want your gift Catherine. Find someone else to give it to." At her gasp of pain Vincent had to look away. This was tearing his heart out, but he knew that letting Catherine go was the best thing for her. "Please go now, Catherine," he begged.

When he said that he didn’t want her gift, it was as if a knife had been plunged into her heart, but when he told her to find someone else to give it to, anger, black and virulent, boiled in her soul. How could he? Give his child to another? Oh granted he didn’t know that the gift was a child, but still, to tell her to give HIS gift to someone else?! Catherine couldn’t help it, the anger his careless words caused burst forth, "How dare you do this to me?! To US?! Vincent we belong together! There is no one else for me!"

"There must be, Catherine. You must leave here and find a happy life for yourself."

"There can be no happiness for me without you!"

"There can. You just need to look for it," he insisted. "You won’t find it here, Catherine."

Seeing the steely determination in his set face, her heart froze. He really meant to do this! He really was sending her away for good. Pleading was getting her nowhere. Her tears seemed to have no effect on him. The only thing she could do now was pray that he would change his mind. "All right Vincent, if that’s what you want…but know this, the last two times it was me who came back to you…this time you will have to come to me. If I walk out of here now, I won’t be back…you’ll have to come to me when you change your mind about this."

"I won’t change my mind. Good-bye Catherine. Have a happy life."

With her head held high and the tears drying on her face she said, "Good-bye, Vincent." She turned on her heel and left his chamber. Every step was excruciating because it took her farther away from him. For once she was glad he no longer felt their connection through the Bond because she could let her tears fall as soon as she was out of his sight. She had to hold back her sobs though; he hadn’t lost any of his incredible hearing.

Chapter 2

Glad that it was late enough that most of the tunnel residents were asleep, Catherine met no one on her way to the access point under her building. If the sentries did see that she was crying on her way out, at least none of them stopped her to inquire about it. That was one good thing about a group of people that respected privacy the way they did Below. As she climbed the ladder to the basement she wondered if Vincent would have this entrance sealed off.

Catherine couldn’t separate her feelings of grief from Vincent’s as she rode the elevator to her apartment. Both just came at her in waves threatening to knock her off her feet and never let her get up again. All she could do was concentrate on getting into her apartment before she collapsed.

Falling onto the couch, after giving the door a half hearted push closed, she wondered how Vincent would have reacted to knowing the Bond was far from dead on her side? Since that night in the cave, it had, in fact, blossomed fully in her. The only explanation she could come up with was that somehow Vincent had been shielding this side of the Bond from her all this time and then, with all of his defenses down as they had been that night, it had finally come flooding through. And since for him the Bond seemed dead, there was no reason to continue to block it from her.

She had kept this from him during his recovery because she thought it would hurt him to know she could fully feel the Bond now, while for some reason it was gone from him. But with what had just happened, she wouldn’t have been human if she hadn’t thought that hurting him with that knowledge as she left might not have been such a bad thing?

Now as she laid there on the couch the combination of her grief and his torment was almost more than she could bear. She could feel the resolve in him as he assured himself that what he had done was the best thing for her. She knew their relationship was truly over in his mind. He would not come to her as she had told him to. She was free of him. That knowledge was enough to get her to lift her head and look towards her balcony. If not for the tiny spark of life growing within her, a quick trip to the street below didn’t sound like such a bad idea at all.

As that thought passed through her mind the phone rang. It caused her to jump, after all, it was after three in the morning! Who could be calling her at this hour? Her first wild thought was that it couldn’t be Vincent because there were no phones Below. Her next thought was just not to answer it at all, but considering the hour, it might be an emergency. So she started to drag herself off of the couch. She was only halfway across the living room when the answering machine picked up the call.

The first words she heard after the beep shook her to her core. "Oh God, please Cathy, don’t let me be too late! Please! Please pick up the phone!"

Catherine could hear the sobs of despair over the line as she snatched up the receiver and said, "I’m here Jen! What’s wrong?!"

"You’re asking me what’s wrong?!" Jenny Aronson demanded. "What happened to you to have you thinking of killing yourself?!"

Her gasp of surprise preceded Catherine’s insistent question, "How did you know?"

"I had a dream! Now you just listen to me, Cathy Chandler, I want you to stay on this line talking to me until I get there. You are to do nothing but sit on your couch and talk to me! Is that understood?! I’m already in my car and on my way there. Cathy, do you hear me?!"

"Jenny you don’t have to come over! I changed my mind almost as soon as I thought about it."

"I don’t care Cathy! If something happened that has the strongest person that I know even thinking of ending it all, then at the very least you need someone there to talk to or hold your hand or something! Now promise me that you won’t hang up or do anything drastic until I get there!"

"Jenny this really isn’t necessary! I won’t be very good company tonight. I just want to be alone," Catherine ended her comment with a very sad sigh.

Chapter 3

"Cathy, if you hang up or don’t promise me that you won’t do anything to yourself before I get there, then I’m going to hang up and call 911. Then I will call your super, Joe, and Peter, telling them to get to your place as fast as they can. So what shall it be?"

"Okay, okay! You win Jenny. Please don’t get anyone else involved in this! I’ll sit here like a good girl waiting for you to get here."

"Good! Now pick up a book and start reading to me, we won’t talk about what happened until I’m there. Do you understand Cathy? Something nice and safe…a good book, whatever you have handy," Jenny’s voice said in her ear. Cathy nodded in agreement even though Jenny couldn’t see her. She sat on the couch, tucked the phone between her shoulder and cheek and reached for the book on the coffee table. Without thinking she opened its front cover. There on the flyleaf was Vincent’s message from the day he had given it to her: "With love's light wings did I o'er-perch these walls; For stony limits cannot hold love out" Vincent. Catherine gasped in pain, dropped both the book and the phone without even realizing it and curled up into a small ball on the couch sobbing her heart out.

Jenny had no idea what had just happened, but she could hear Cathy’s sobs. She knew there was something desperately wrong, and her foot came down on the gas pedal. At this point she thought that a police escort might not be such a bad thing.

The two of them had long ago given each other keys to their places so that when one of them had to go out of town, plants would still get watered. Jenny used her key to Cathy’s apartment when she flew off the elevator. Inside she could no longer hear her friend sobbing, this sent a chill through her heart. Had Cathy jumped? Would she find her dead or alive when she got inside?

As she threw the door open she saw Cathy laying in a huddle on the couch. Now all she had to do was find out if her friend was breathing or not. Rushing to Cathy’s side, Jenny shook her shoulder. Cathy had fallen asleep from exhaustion after her crying bout. Her eyes opened and when she saw Jenny she began to cry again.

Throwing herself into Jenny’s arms, Cathy sobbed until there were no tears left in her. Dawn was peeking through the French doors by that time. Jenny helped her into a sitting position and slowly got up from the couch. She stretched and said softly, "I’ll make some coffee or tea and maybe then you can tell me what’s going on."

She had taken only two steps towards the kitchen when Cathy cried, "Not TEA! Please Jenny, NOT tea!" Tears would have flowed again if Cathy hadn’t been so dehydrated; instead her body was wracked with dry sobs.

Jenny ran back to her side and took Cathy into her arms. "My god, Cath! What has happened to you?!"

"Vincent sent me away! He broke up with me!" Cathy wailed.

"Who is this creep, and why haven’t I heard about him before now?" Jenny demanded to know.

"He’s the love of my life, and he doesn’t want me anymore!"

"Oh tell me where to find him and I’ll beat some sense into him!"

"You can’t do that! I love him!"

"Alright then, I’ll only hurt him a little until he sees the error of his ways!"

"I can’t let you hurt the father of my baby!"

"BABY!? You’re pregnant, and he threw you out on the street knowing you are having his child?!"

"No, he doesn’t know. I went to tell him, but he sent me away before I could."

"So why didn’t you tell him then?"

"Because I want him to want me for me, not because of the baby," Catherine explained.

"Okay, that makes sense. So what are you going to do to get him back?"

"Nothing."

"WHAT?!"

Chapter 4

"I said, ‘nothing’," Catherine answered her.

"I know. I heard you! I just couldn’t believe it! May I ask why?"

"Because the last two times he sent me away, I was the one that went back. This time it has to be him."

"He’s done this to you before?!" Jenny demanded incredulously.

"Yes. Twice," Catherine replied dispiritedly.

"Why?"

"He doesn’t believe that I belong in his world."

"Is he poor?"

"Not in the way you mean."

"Is he married?"

"No!"

"Okay, sorry. I had to ask! Is he on the run from the law?"

"Not exactly."

"What does THAT mean!?"

"Nothing really…forget it."

"Cathy I don’t like the sound of this! Who is this Vincent?"

"He is the most special person in the world. There’s no one else like him, and I’ll never see him again!"

"You sound so certain, how do you know that?"

"Because we have a Bond. I can feel what he’s feeling, and I know he’s not going to change his mind on this. It really is over, and if it weren’t for the baby I would end it all right now!"

"Cath, NO!" Jenny protested. "No guy is worth that!"

"Vincent is. Jenny, he is the best part of me. He’s the one that made me strong. Without him I would never have gotten through these last two years. He was my world. Now the baby will have to be."

"Okay, hun, let’s put Vincent aside for a bit and talk about the baby. How long have you known you were pregnant?"

Catherine took a deep breath and tried to do what Jenny suggested. However, putting Vincent out of her mind, even for a little while, was not very easy to do. ‘Concentrate on the baby!’ she told herself. That she could do. Shifting her focus she placed her hand over her tummy and said, "I found out the day before yesterday when I gave blood at the hospital. The nurse came and told me I shouldn’t have in my condition."

"Is the baby okay?"

"Yes, I made sure of that. They just told me giving blood wasn’t a good idea."

"So if you didn’t know, you can’t be very far along."

"Forty four days."

Jenny gave a short little laugh and asked, "How do you know that so exactly?"

"Because Vincent and I were only together once."

"And there’s no way it could be anyone else’s?"

"Jen!" Cathy protested.

"Okay! I had to ask!"

"There’s been no one else in my life for two and a half years."

"Okay then. So are we happy about the baby? Is this a good thing?"

Catherine smiled for the first time since this awful night began. A dreamy look came over her face, and Jenny had her answer even before Cathy spoke. "This is a miracle! And no matter what happens between Vincent and I, this baby is worth living for!"

"Good, now that’s settled. Why don’t I make some coffee and we can talk about what to do next."

"Thanks Jenny, I don’t know what I would have done without you tonight."

"You would have made it Cathy. Remember, I know you, and I’ve seen what you can do. Things will all work out, just you wait and see; but we should call your office and tell them you won’t be in to work today. Just tell them you’re sick."

"I don’t have to. As soon as I found out I was pregnant I quit. I had so much unused vacation time on the books that I just took that in lieu of notice."

"You quit work? Why? I thought you loved that job!"

"I do, but it was much too dangerous for someone carrying a child, on top of that, no one can know I’m pregnant; so I have a lot of planning to do before I start showing."

"Planning? What do you mean planning? And why can’t anyone know you’re pregnant?"

"Well, if everything had worked out as I hoped, I’d be with Vincent and there wouldn’t need to be arrangements made; but since that’s not going to happen," Catherine said with a catch in her voice. "I will need to make contingency plans."

"And that part about no one knowing you’re pregnant? Don’t tell me you have to kill me cuz I know!" Jenny tried to laugh off her very real concern for whatever it was her friend was involved in.

Chapter 5

"Oh Jenny it’s so very complicated!" Cathy sighed.

"It always seems to be with you, Cathy. Come on, tell Aunt Jenny and maybe together we can figure out a way to make it less complicated!"

"There’s usually a long process that someone has to go through before the secret is told, but I’m guessing you’re going to want to be around when I have the baby…" she didn’t have long to wait for Jenny’s response.

"You’re damn straight I am!" Jenny insisted.

"Well then, in case the baby looks like Vincent, you should probably be prepared."

"Oh come on, Cath! It might still be unheard of in your social circle, but among us common folk, it’s not that unusual anymore!"

Totally confused because she was absolutely sure Jenny had no real idea what she was talking about, Catherine demanded, "Jenny what are you talking about?"

"You’re trying to find a tactful way to tell me about Vincent! Well you don’t have to Cath! Geesh! What kind of friend would I be if I were to judge you because of this! I mean, ‘hello’, remember I’m Jewish! I know all about discrimination and persecution! Just because Vincent is black…"

Cathy’s shout of laughter almost bordered in the hysterical, and Jenny worried as her friend had a hard time controlling herself. "Okay! So he’s not black…what is he then, green?" Jenny grumbled at being obviously wrong.

Gasping out, "That’s closer to the truth than black anyway!" Cathy took a few deep breaths and continued, "No, Jenny, Vincent is very special, there’s no one else like him. I will tell you the whole story, but you have to swear that it goes no farther than this room."

Jenny eyed her friend and saw how vitally important this was. She solemnly vowed, "You can count on me Cathy. No one will ever learn from me what you’re going to tell me."

"I knew I could trust you, Jenny; but you have to understand this hasn’t really been my secret until now, when it could become the baby’s secret." Jenny nodded and Catherine went on, "He comes from a secret place, hiding his face from those that wouldn’t understand. It was Vincent that found me in the park when I was attacked and he took me to his world, to his Father, who was a doctor to save my life. I was with him in his world for those ten days that I told everyone I couldn’t remember. Vincent cared for me and I started to fall in love with him. I didn’t realize it until later, but it did start back then."

Catherine paused to take a sip of the coffee that was finally ready and then said, "Vincent was found abandoned as a baby and taken to the man that raised him. He’d been left in a dumpster wrapped in only rags in the middle of January…"

"How awful!" Jenny interrupted. "Who would do such a thing?!"

"No one knows, but everyone guesses that it was because of how he looks."

"Go on!" Jenny urged when Cathy once again stopped for a sip of coffee. This time it was because of nerves of finally saying it out loud rather than because her throat was dry; but the moment had come and she had to come out with it.

"Vincent’s features are more feline than human," Catherine said softly.

"A cat?! You’re trying to tell me that Vincent looks like a CAT?!"

"Actually more like a lion, but yes, that’s it. He’s so beautiful Jen! He’s kind and caring, gentle and good. He’s a scholar and poet, and everyone in his world loves him fiercely!"

"Yeah, but this kind, caring, gentle, scholarly-poet threw you out! That doesn’t sound very good to me! You never did say why he broke it off with you."

"It’s always the same old story with him. He believes that I wouldn’t be happy Below and that I have to find someone Above to be with."

"Below? I don’t get that."

"Vincent lives below the city streets. There are miles of caverns, caves, and tunnels there, and a community of people that love and care for one another. The world has forgotten or thrown away most of them, so they go there to heal and hide. When they are well, some return to the world Above, but others choose to stay and create a life there. There are adults that were born there and have never known another home."

"Underground? It sounds dark and creepy!"

Chapter 6

"Oh no Jen! It’s a magical place, filled with wonder and beauty that you couldn’t even imagine! There’s the Crystal Caverns, the Mirror Pool, the Chamber of the Winds, and the Whispering Gallery! All of it is lit with candles and torches that give everything a warm glow."

"So if it’s so great, why doesn’t Vincent think you’ll be happy there?"

"I guess it’s because he has no other choice. Even though it is his home, it’s also his prison in a way, because he can’t live Above. What he doesn’t see is that everyone else who lives there does have that choice and they choose to live Below!"

"So what can we do to get his head set on straight?" Jenny wanted to know.

Amazed that this was Jenny’s only reaction to all she had just told her, Cathy nonetheless gave her a sad smile. "Nothing, Jenny. I’ve told him over and over again that I love him and would gladly give up everything Above to be with him in his world. He either can’t or won’t believe me. So now I just have to leave him to come to the realization of what life apart will be like; but I’m pretty sure no matter how much he’s suffering over this, he won’t come to me because he thinks I’m better off Above."

"But if he knew about the baby!"

"No! And that’s final!" Cathy insisted. "If he doesn’t want me or this gift, then the baby and I will get along just fine without him."

"Yeah…that’s why you were going to toss yourself headfirst off your balcony!" Jenny snorted.

"I told you that I changed my mind even before I finished the thought!" Cathy protested. "This baby is too precious! There’s no way I will harm him or her."

"Okay, so let’s focus on the baby for a moment. I’m guessing that if the kid looks like daddy, you’re going to have to hide the little tyke. That’s what you meant about plans, right?"

"Yes, and I know just where we’ll go. I still have a cabin at the lake in Connecticut; it’s very quiet and isolated there. I’ll be able to raise the baby there, but I’ll stay here in town until it’s born so Peter can deliver it."

"You can’t have a baby like that in a hospital can you?"

"No, I’ll talk to Peter about a home birth. Do you want to be my labor coach?"

"Oh, I wouldn’t miss this for all the world!" Jenny assured her.

"I knew I could count on you Jenny!" Cathy said, hugging her friend.

"Okay, so if you’re a month and a half along, that means you should be due around the end of June or the beginning of July."

"That sounds about right, but I’m sure as soon as I’ve seen Peter, he’ll be able to give me a more exact date."

"Well, we have a lot of time to get ready, but it will go faster than you think. I think you should do a lot of your shopping on line. Buying a lot of baby stuff might be noticed."

"Good idea," Cathy encouraged her and then added, "What about some breakfast? After all, I’m eating for two now."

"Sure! What have you got?"

"I picked up some bagels yesterday…" Cathy trailed off as she searched the almost empty fridge for the cream cheese she’d gotten to go with them. Finding it, she emerged triumphantly only to see Jenny shaking her head at her. "What?"

"You do know you’re going to have to start eating better now that you’re expecting!?" Jenny admonished.

"Hey! I got the vegetable and herb cream cheese!" Cathy protested with the first real laugh she had uttered since the whole mess began.

Jenny joined in and the two of them sat down to eat and make plans.

Chapter 7

As predicted, in some ways the time moved very quickly as the two of them prepared for the coming baby. It was mainly during the times that she spent alone that the hours, minutes, and seconds seemed to crawl by. It was then that she was able to tune in on Vincent’s feelings, and she knew there was something very wrong. Not only was there the sadness and grief over their parting, but there was something else going on as well. There was a deep abiding feeling of aloneness. This was something she hadn’t felt at the beginning of their time apart, so she could only guess that something had happened later. But since Vincent had told her that it should be a clean break between them and that she shouldn’t return Below, there was no way she could know what it was. She prayed that there hadn’t been a death Below. From the feelings of aloneness she was getting from Vincent, Catherine worried that it was Father or maybe Mouse.

Peter was no help at all in discovering what was going on, because after her first appointment with him, when she told him what had happened between Vincent and her, he had refused to go Below again. That had been a very interesting visit.

Jenny had taken some time off work to stay with her friend through those first awful days. She had stayed by Cathy’s side, never leaving her alone. The only minutes Cathy had to herself was when she or Jenny was in the shower, or very late at night once Jenny had fallen asleep out of sheer exhaustion. She tried to stay awake to be there for Cathy every minute, but Catherine’s sadness was so overwhelming that she was hardly sleeping at all.

It was mid-week before Cathy felt up to trying to get out, and when she called Peter to explain it was important she see him, he told her to come to the office on his lunch break. Catherine arrived at Peter’s and he knew at once something was up. He had, after all, delivered her, so after her father’s death he was the one person who had known her the longest in the world.

"Cathy, what is it?" was his greeting rather than the normal ‘hello’ she usually got.

"Hello to you too!" she said with a half grin.

"Okay Cathy, I know you well enough by now to know when something’s wrong. You’ve lost weight and your eyes are so bloodshot that they look like road maps!"

"I guess I’ll get right to the point then. I’m pregnant and Vincent has ended our relationship."

Peter blinked once as he quickly processed that information and then asked, "Is that because the child is, or isn’t, his?"

Catherine frowned at him and replied, "Vincent is the father, but he doesn’t know it. He doesn’t even remember the night it happened."

"I see, so why did he end things between you? I take it that it wasn’t what you wanted?"

"No. The night I went to tell him about the baby he told me that I deserved a better life than he could give me, and he sent me away."

"And because of that you didn’t tell him about the baby."

"Peter! I want him to want us to be together because he loves me, not because I’m pregnant!"

"You misunderstood me Cathy. I respect and applaud your not telling him at that point. Many women would have used that as leverage against a break up they didn’t want. So I need to ask you a few questions." At her nod he went on, "You do want to keep the baby, right?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, and from the sound of what you said about Vincent not remembering ‘the night’ it happened, I’m guessing you have a pretty accurate conception date?"

"Fifty-two days ago."

Checking his calendar Peter told her, "That should put your due date somewhere around June 28^th. But remember, with Vincent’s unique DNA that could be off in either direction. I’ll want to keep a close eye on your progress. Have you thought about what you’ll do if you and he aren’t back together by your delivery time?"

"The baby can’t be born Below, if that’s what you mean. Vincent told me I’m not to return to his world."

"WHAT?! Does the Council know about this?" Peter demanded.

Chapter 8

"I have no idea what Vincent has said. It was very late when he sent me away and I didn’t see anyone on my way Above, so I don’t know what they’ve been told," Catherine responded.

Seeing how much pain the topic was causing his favorite patient, Peter decided to deal with all of that later. "Well, women have been having babies for a lot of years, so I don’t think there’s any reason why you couldn’t deliver the baby at your apartment. But how will you raise the baby in the city if he or she looks like Vincent?"

"If the baby looks like me it won’t be a problem, but if not, as soon as we are both able to travel after the birth, I’m going to move up to the cabin in Connecticut."

"What about your job, Cathy?"

"I’ve already quit so there is not problem there. No one can know about the pregnancy in case the baby does look like Vincent, or it would be hard to explain what happened to the child that everyone knew I had."

"Okay then, I’m going to want you to take a pre-natal vitamin, but since I agree with you about no one knowing, I can provide you with the samples that we get here in the office. Also you are going to have to start eating and sleeping better young lady!" When she started to defend herself on that score he raised his hand to forestall her protest, "I know that this is a rough time Cathy, but you need to be thinking about the baby right now. Do what’s best for him or her!"

"I’ll try Peter, I promise."

"Okay then, let me recommend a couple of good books for you to read and we’ll make an appointment to see you in six weeks to do an ultrasound." Cathy started to contradict him and he interjected, "We’ll make the appointment for after hours when we can be alone here. No one else will know. At that time we might be able to see the sex of the baby. Will you want me to tell you, or do you want it to be a surprise?"

"I don’t know!" she said in a wondering tone of voice. "I’ll have to think about it Peter."

"Okay, you can tell me before we get started that night."

They set up the night for the appointment and Peter wrote in his book that he was taking that night off. Everything was as carefully planned as it could be. Peter hugged her as she got ready to leave and told her that if she needed someone to talk to, he was available to her."

"Thank you Peter, but Jenny has been staying with me lately, and honestly, what I could use is some ‘alone time’."

"So you can sit and cry?" he asked.

"Well yes, that among other things," she replied defensively.

"Okay, that is understandable. Just remember, your mood also affects the baby, so try and balance that with happy times too!"

"I’ll try," she gave him a weak smile for the understanding he showed her.

***

Below, Father couldn’t understand why they hadn’t seen Catherine in two days. Since Vincent’s illness she hadn’t let a day go by that she didn’t spend part or all of it at his side. He did however notice how depressed his son was, and thinking that her absence was the reason, thought better of asking where she was in case it would make Vincent feel worse. But when the third day passed into evening and Catherine wasn’t there at dinnertime, Father did become concerned. Right after the meal, the children were giving a concert of some of Catherine’s favorite songs to thank her for bringing Vincent back from the darkness.

It couldn’t be helped. He had to find out if Vincent had any word on when the guest of honor would arrive. The children would be beyond disappointed if for some reason she couldn’t be there. He pulled Vincent to the side so no one could overhear in case it was bad news. "Vincent?"

"Yes Father?" his son questioned listlessly.

"Do you know when Catherine will arrive? The children planned to start right after desert."

"She won’t be coming, Father."

Chapter 9

"Oh dear! Has something kept her at work?"

"No, Father, Catherine will no longer be coming Below. We have ended our relationship," Vincent answered and started to move away.

Catching his son by the arm Father demanded, "What do you mean!? Catherine loves you, and you her! What has happened?"

"Catherine is better off Above. She has a life waiting to be led there, and I’ve set her free to do so."

"Vincent! Catherine wants a life with you! Surely you know that by now! I know I was against a relationship between the two of you at first, but even I have come to see how totally devoted to you she is!"

"Father, please! It’s over, and that’s all there is to it!" Vincent exclaimed.

"Well I don’t believe it! When she comes down next, I will ask her!"

"She won’t be coming Below any longer, Father. We both thought it too painful to continue to see each other that way."

"If it’s still painful, then there is hope that the wounds can heal. Maybe all the two of you need is a neutral third party to help you communicate with each other. I can go to her and set up a meeting where we all can talk things out!" he offered.

"No Father! Catherine is to be left alone! She would only be hurt by the reminders of my family here."

"But she is family too, Vincent!"

"No longer, Father! Please respect our wishes on this!" Vincent insisted firmly.

Seeing how agitated his son was becoming, and not wanting to take the chance of a relapse, Father decided to let it go for the moment and bring it up at a later date when Vincent was calmer. Now, though, he had to find a way to break the bad news to the children who had worked so hard. "All right Vincent, I will respect your wishes. Do you have any suggestions on what I should tell the children?"

"The truth, Father," Vincent declared as he turned and strode from the room.

Hoping that the situation between Vincent and Catherine would resolve itself given time, Father chose not to announce that they had broken up, but only said something unavoidable had come up at her work and she couldn’t get away. The children were, of course disappointed, but not devastated as they would have been if he had told them the truth as Vincent had said to.

It was another two days before Father received an angrily worded note from Dr. Peter Alcott asking for some kind of explanation for what Vincent had done to Catherine. He, of course, had left out the bit about her being with child.

Going to his son’s chamber to discover what the story was, Father was surprised to find Vincent sitting staring off into nothingness in the middle of the day. He knew of at least two work crews that could have greatly benefited from Vincent’s help. This wasn’t like his son at all to shirk his duties in such a way. "Vincent?"

It was as if he hadn’t spoken, there was no response from his son at all. Trying again as he came farther into the chamber, he still got no answer. It wasn’t until he placed his hand on Vincent’s shoulder that the younger man started as if just realizing Father was there. "Vincent, is everything alright?"

With a weary sigh Vincent gave an unconvincing answer of, "Yes Father."

"And now, may I have the truth?" his parent requested.

"As right as it ever will be then!" Vincent snapped.

"I see. Well then I will come to the point of my visit. I just received a note from Peter demanding to know what you have done to Catherine. It seems she is unwell. Not eating or sleeping properly, and he added that she told him she was no longer ‘allowed’ to come Below! Vincent, you led us to believe that not coming Below was Catherine’s choice. From this note, Peter believes that you instructed her not to come!"

"What does it matter Father? The result is the same! Catherine will no longer be coming Below!"

"There is a great deal of difference if this is true Vincent! Is it?" Father waved the note in the air in front of his son’s face.

Chapter 10

"What if it is? What will it change? Catherine is still out of my life!" Vincent declared as he rose from his chair and began to pace about the chamber.

"Because Catherine is a loved and trusted member of this community now! That is why I always advise caution in relationships; because if they do end, there is always a disruption or rift in our community. Catherine is not only a Helper these days, she is a loved and respected part of our family! You, as one person, cannot tell her she is not allowed down here any longer! In essence, you have banished her! This must be corrected Vincent!"

"No, Father! Catherine does not belong down here! Let her live her life Above where she does belong!"

"Is that your final word on the subject?" Father asked grimly.

"It is!" his son replied firmly.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Father slowly made his way out of Vincent’s chamber and back to his study. He sent word over the pipes that there would be a general meeting that evening right after dinner and everyone was to be present.

When their meal was over and everyone was sitting around speculating on what the meeting was about, Father reluctantly got to his feet and called for silence. As they all settled down Father began to speak, "It has come to my attention that a great wrong has been committed against one of our dearest Helpers and friends."

Vincent stiffened in his seat as Father talked and frowned at him as if daring him to continue. Looking directly into his son’s eyes, Father continued, "Vincent and Catherine have broken off their relationship. However while I consider that a tragedy in itself, the wrong occurred after that."

As Father paused before announcing what Vincent had done, the whispers in the community had grown to almost a roar. They were all speculating on the reason for the break-up. Father held up his hands and said, "Please everyone! There will be time enough for gossip later if that is how you choose to waste your time! I have called you here for a grave purpose! While it is a couple’s right to begin or end a relationship, it is also a matter of privacy among them if they do not wish to share the reasons. Unfortunately, what Vincent has done is not such a matter. I received a note from Peter Alcott telling me that Catherine had been asked not to return Below!"

A collective gasp circled the room and all eyes turned to Vincent. Some were sad, some worried or concerned. There were also accusatory glances, and some were outright angry. Once again the volume from the group rose as everyone had a thought or comment to share.

As anyone with children, or someone who has been around them a lot knows, the voice of a child, or in this case a child-like voice can rise above any level of noise in a room. "Why, Vincent? We love Catherine too!" Mouse was heard to say.

Vincent quietly answered, "Catherine doesn’t belong down here, she belongs Above, where she can have a bright and promising future."

"What’s wrong with the future she could have down here Vincent?" Jamie demanded.

"Catherine is a woman of the light. She shouldn’t be here," he answered.

"Did you ever ask her if she wanted to be here?" William questioned.

It was at that point that Father stepped in, "While all your questions have validity, they are not the reason that you were all asked to stay after dinner this evening. Vincent has taken it upon himself to tell one of our Helpers that she is no longer welcome here Below. That is something no one person can do! Something like that must be put to a vote of the Council. Since that has not happened, nor do I have any reason for bringing such a vote, there is only one option," he paused and looked around the room before letting his eyes once again come to rest on his son.

Chapter 11

"Vincent, you must go to Catherine and tell her that she is welcome here Below any time she wishes to be here," Father insisted.

Looking at his father as if the man had lost his mind, Vincent said quite clearly, "I will not!"

"You must! You were the one to tell her that she could not come Below, and you shall be the one to tell her that she is welcome!"

"I shall not!" his son replied.

"Vincent!" Father admonished.

"Father, it is over! Leave it be!"

"Your relationship with Catherine has nothing to do with this, Vincent! You banished Catherine from our world! Even Paracelsus wasn’t treated so without a vote of the Council!"

At those words, Vincent paled and his defiant gaze dropped. The whispering among the community started again but quieted when Father spoke, "If you do not do this Vincent, you know there will be dire consequences!"

"Do what you will, Father! I will not go to Catherine!"

Shaking his head in sad disbelief, Father made his announcement. "The only punishment suitable for a transgression of this magnitude is The Silence. I will call for a vote. All those in favor of enforcing this punishment, please signify so in the traditional manner."

Father watched as some quickly turned away from Vincent, those were mostly the children, who despite their love for Vincent, didn’t realize the ramifications of this severe punishment. Others turned slowly as if reluctant to do so. These were the adults that had known Vincent for quite some time, if not all of his life. They understood what they were doing and almost how much it was going to hurt him. Still others waited until the last moment, hoping maybe for some kind of reprieve, but then, with tears in their eyes they also turned away from their beloved Vincent. In that group were Mary, William, Rebecca, Pascal, Jamie, and Mouse; these were the ones that understood the most what this sentence was going to mean to their friend.

Having to make clear his own vote, Father also turned his back on his son before turning again to face the group, "So be it. For one month, no man, woman, or child will speak to you Vincent. The sentence…"

"Wait! What about work details?" Pascal asked.

"Anything that must be communicated can be done through notes," Father answered.

"What about our reading class?" Samantha spoke up.

A look of consternation came over Father’s face as he realized what the silence would mean to the classes Vincent taught. With a heavy sigh and a heavier heart, he said, "Vincent’s classes will have to be reassigned for the time being."

The look of sorrow that came over Vincent’s face as this final blow was delivered was painful for all to see. He quietly announced, "I will be going to the lower levels."

"Vincent!" Father called out after his son as he started to leave the dining hall. The thirty days of silence are only counted when you are here among us. If you go away for any number of days, those will not be considered a part of the thirty. It is not a punishment if you are not here to be affected by it."

Vincent took one more look at the grim and sad faces of the people he had considered family for all of his life and with a curt nod, he left them.

As he walked out of the room, Father said loudly, "The sentence will begin, now."

The occupants of the room burst forth into wild conversation.

Father couldn’t take it, this had all been too much for him, and he needed to be alone. He quietly left the room and headed for his study. Only Mary noticed him go and quietly followed him.

Jacob slumped into a chair, not even realizing that he’d been followed until Mary leaned over his shoulder and placed a hot cup of tea into his hand. She told him, "You looked like you could use this."

Looking up at her he said sadly, "Thank you Mary."

"You did what you had to do."

"Yes, I know, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less," he answered her.

"I know, but at the end of the month he’ll go to her and things will get back to normal."

"We can only hope that is so."

"Unless you are planning on going to see Catherine before the month is up?"

"No, this has to come from Vincent. He’s the one that sent her away."

"Will you tell Peter what has happened?"

"I’m not sure, Mary. I’ll have to think on that."

"All right, Father. If you need me I’ll be in my chamber," she told him and left him alone after he nodded.

Chapter 12

Father did think about what to tell Peter that night and the next morning he sent a note via one of the children to his friend’s office. He couldn’t help that it would leave Peter wondering what had happened. Father would just have to give him more details the next time Peter came down. He had no way of knowing that from that point on, Peter would only send supplies down, but no longer come himself.

The note simply said: Peter, thank you for alerting me to what happened. The matter has been taken care of. Unfortunately, Vincent and Catherine will have to resolve their personal lives on their own.

Days passed with agonizing slowness, but for both Catherine and Vincent the nights were even worse, for their lives had been made up of the nights they spent together. Sometimes it was merely stolen moments, other times the entire night until dawn itself crept across the sky. Catherine felt it every time Vincent stood at the edge of the Abyss thinking of ending it all. Those were the times she reached out to him, trying to pull him back with every drop of love she could send his way. Always exhausted after such an encounter, she couldn’t find a way to tell Jenny why she sometimes slept for hours in the middle of the day when she couldn’t sleep at all at night.

Catherine was grateful when Jenny reluctantly told her that it was time that she returned to work. She loved her friend, but she really needed some time alone. She did, just barely, manage to keep her sigh unheard when Jenny announced that she would be back to spend the weekend with Cathy.

Vincent had thought the thirty days would never be over. Not even waiting for Winterfest as a child had been as difficult as living through this time. All he knew is that he NEVER wanted to go through anything like it again! Children would see him in the passageways and their eyes would light up as they opened their mouths eager to share some bit of news, and then they would remember they weren’t to speak to him and turn away from him with tears in their eyes. There was communication with the adults of the community. But those were notes that were purely business.

No one asked how he was, no one stopped to pass the time of day. He was truly and utterly alone, even though he was surrounded with people all day long. The world was not silent; he heard voices all the time. It was just that none of them were directed at him. He was still welcome to attend all the functions of their world, but even then his family made their reaction to Catherine’s absence felt. There was always a spot next to him left empty no matter how crowded the event was. They were letting him know that sitting or standing, they felt that her place should have been there by his side.

There had been several concerts in the Park during that month as well, but after attending the first one without Catherine, he couldn’t return. Even though that place had been his boyhood haunt, after the first time he had shared it with Catherine, it had become ‘their’ place and now it just wasn’t the same without her at his side. It was actually painful to be there listening to the music they both loved without her.

After dinner on the thirtieth day, Father stood and Vincent thanked God that the worst time of his life was almost over. He knew that Father was about to lift the silence, and although he would still be without Catherine, at least he would once again have is family to talk with instead of being constantly alone with his own thoughts of her loss. However, Vincent sat there shaken to the core at Father’s words, "Vincent, we hope that our silence has shown you the error of your action. Are you now ready to go to Catherine and tell her she is still considered one of our family and is welcome here at any time?"

Even knowing the horrific consequences that his answer would bring, Vincent couldn’t do that! He simply replied, "No Father, I am not."

Chapter 13

"Then The Silence shall be enforced for another thirty days," Father sadly pronounced and walked from the room.

Vincent watched in stunned amazement as this time, unlike the last, there was no buzz of conversation or speculation by the community, they just slowly and oh so quietly followed Father from the room.

Catherine had just finished ordering some baby clothes on line that night when she felt a jolt of overwhelming despair coming through the Bond from Vincent. Her gasp was instinctive, just as placing her hand over her tummy was. What she hadn’t expected though was what seemed like an answering movement of feeling from the baby! She wasn’t quite three months along yet, and the books Peter had recommended said she shouldn’t start feeling the baby move until the forth month. They also said she wouldn’t start showing until then. Wondering if that was also wrong, Catherine went into the bedroom where there was a full length mirror and stripped off her clothes.

As she did that, she once again felt mental anguish from Vincent. He was going through something that was causing him a great deal of pain. Could it be about her? Was she full of herself to even think that? She could only pray that it wasn’t an illness or death of someone Below. Catherine sent her loving support through the Bond, not knowing if he received it or not, but it seemed to be all she could do.

She had felt the continuing grief the end of their relationship was bringing him. It was so clear to her through the Bond that he still loved her, but his stubborn belief that she deserved a life Above would not let him come to her. Catherine also knew when he rejected attending concerts at their special place below the Park. She knew that she wouldn’t have been able to sit there in that place without him either.

Bringing her thoughts back to the naked form staring at her from the mirror, she turned sideways and ran her hand over her tummy. It was slight, but she could tell that she was already starting to show. It was still a week before her appointment with Peter, so she called him at home instead.

He told her that he wasn’t extremely surprised that she was showing early, since she was so small and Vincent so large, it was to be expected. However, he was surprised when she told him that she thought she’d felt the baby move. He was not concerned by it, so told her he would see her in a week as planned for the ultrasound.

Catherine had thought long and hard about whether she wanted to know the sex of the baby or not, and her conclusion was that it just didn’t feel right as long as Vincent still didn’t know about the baby. However, she did wonder that if the sex of the baby could be seen that night, would it also be apparent if the baby would look like Vincent? She had already decided that if that were the case, she would make a trip out to the cabin to make sure that it didn’t need any repairs to be ready for her and her child.

Jenny brought up the subject of names almost every time she stopped by. Cathy was pretty sure her friend’s wild suggestions were just a way to get her to tell her what she had chosen. Or at least she hoped that Jenny wasn’t serious about Chaucer Clarence Chandler or Cleopatra Clementine Chandler! However, every time Catherine even thought about names for the baby, she thought of Vincent and how he didn’t know. She also remembered the beautiful Naming Ceremony that Lena had for little Cathy and was saddened that Vincent’s and her child wouldn’t have that.

Their child wouldn’t be blessed with a hand crocheted blanket from Mary, or a hand carved cradle from Kanin, or any of a number of sweet gifts from the children, not even a wild and outlandish gizmo from Mouse. But most of all, her child would not be blessed with an extraordinary father in his or her life. That last thought always brought her to tears and the subject of names was once more shelved for another time.

Chapter 14

The day of the ultrasound was unseasonably warm in New York, so Catherine donned an over blouse as well as a jacket instead of a coat to cover the barely-there bulge of her child. Knowing that soon she would be trapped in her apartment just the way Vincent was Below, she decided to take a long walk before her appointment.

Her walk led her by Mr. Smyth’s bookstore and she couldn’t resist going in. Staying far away from the ‘baby’ section, Catherine quickly found two books that she just knew Vincent would love. With a sigh she left them on the shelf and continued to browse. She couldn’t send them to him with what was happening between them. Then defiantly, because after all what was happening between them was his doing and not hers, she picked up those books as well as a couple that she knew Father would love and added a thick tome of knit and crochet patterns that would thrill Mary to no end. She kept hers with her but asked that he hold the others till they were picked up. She wrote a note that just a said: Enjoy, but with no signature. Mr. Smyth assured her that he would hold them until Benny the bike messenger came by. Catherine would arrange for him to drop by the store sometime that day and then deliver them to the tunnels. With that gentle smile of his, Smythe invited her to come back and not be a stranger. Catherine promised even though she knew she couldn’t keep that promise for long.

She made her way to Peter’s office just minutes before she was supposed to be there. He greeted her with a hug and asked how she was. Trying to give him a smile that he would believe, she admitted that she had both good and bad days.

"Cathy dear, if you think it would help, I’ll go down there and have a talk with that stubborn young man!"

"Oh Peter! Thank you, but if he wouldn’t listen to me, I doubt that he’d listen to anyone else."

"I could go and rough him up a bit!" he offered and was rewarded with an honest laugh from Cathy.

"You and Jenny both! What is it with the two of you wanting to beat up Vincent?"

"He’s made the one we love hurt, my dear. But let’s talk about happier things! Did you decide if you want to know the sex of the baby, supposing I can determine that tonight?"

"No, I don’t want to know," she informed him as they walked into the exam room together. She climbed up on the table as he prepared the machine.

Turning to her with a wicked grin he asked, "So should I use the warm gel or not?"

Pretending to pull her shirt back over her tummy she said, "I can always find a different doctor!"

He laughed at her empty threat and reached for the warm gel. Running the wand over her skin, they both watched the image on the monitor. Peter smiled and gently told her, "That’s your baby there, Cathy my dear!" He pointed out the head and body and then as the wand moved a bit he went very still.

Cathy knew at once there was something abnormal going on. "Peter! What is it? Is there something wrong?!" her frantic voice rang out.

Squinting at the screen for another minute before answering and moving the wand over her again, Peter turned back to her with a wide grin. "Well, I think I have an explanation for why you’re showing so early?"

"You do? Why?" she demanded.

Pointing to a tiny spot on the monitor that pulsed quickly, he asked, "Do you see that?" at her nod he told her, "That’s your baby’s heart beating."

"What does that have to do with the size of the baby?"

"Nothing at all, my dear," he laughed and then pointed to another spot on the screen. "But do you see that?"

Chapter 15

Cathy’s eyes grew wide as she realized it looked just like the other spot he had pointed to. "Peter?"

"Yes Cathy?"

"Twins?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"It sure looks that way, young lady. Congratulations!"

She couldn’t take her eyes off the screen as she looked at her babies. Twins! What would Vincent think about that, if he only knew?! A quiet tear slid down her cheek as Peter patted her shoulder understandingly. He hit a button on the side of the machine and there was a whirring sound. A moment later he handed her the first picture of her babies.

Taking it from him, Cathy carefully pressed it to her heart, "Thank you Peter!"

"You’re welcome, my dear! Now I want you to keep taking your vitamins as well as eating and sleeping better. We might change your due date as it gets closer because twins often come a little early. Normally I would say I don’t need to see you for two months, but with Vincent as the daddy, I think we’ll cut that to one. There’s no reason for alarm, I just want to err on the side of caution. If you have any questions or concerns before then, don’t hesitate to call me."

"Okay, thank you again, Peter. Wait till I tell Jenny!" Cathy laughed. "But knowing her, she’ll claim that she already knew it!" Peter laughed with her as he walked her out of the office. Still feeling a bit dazed at the news she’d just gotten, Cathy decided to take a cab home instead of walking.

Cathy was pleased at how Jenny took the news. She was almost as thrilled for her as Cathy was herself. The two of them laughed as their first thought was that they would need to double everything that had already been bought for ‘the baby’!

Christmas that year was very quiet, with just Jenny and her to celebrate. Her friend had tried to get Cathy to go to the Aronson family gatherings, but she just wasn’t feeling in the holiday mood. Joe Maxwell stopped by the apartment and brought her a bottle of wine. He had no idea about the pregnancy and that she wouldn’t be able to drink it. Joe was still confused and hurt about her reasons for leaving the DA’s office, and because she couldn’t give him the real reason, anything she came up with didn’t sound true. He went away still wondering what was going on in her life.

One of the things that Jenny had given her as a Christmas gift was a beautifully quilted baby book. Cathy lovingly placed the ultrasound picture in it, labeling it as the first picture of the twins.

The New Year came in quietly for Cathy. She sat home watching the ball drop on TV.

Below, on Christmas Eve when everyone gathered to exchange gifts in Father’s study, Vincent was there with every one else. The pile of gifts on the floor in front of him was as high as it had been in all the years before and he received just as many hugs from the children, but no one spoke a word to him at all. Even that, though, was bearable in the face of what came next.

After Christmas each year, plans kicked into high gear for Winterfest. This year it was agony for Vincent. To help everyone prepare for the most social event of the year Below and to know that this year not only would he face it without Catherine by his side, but he would face it in Silence as well.

When the Winterfest candles were delivered to their Helpers Above this year, there were accompanying notes explaining what was going on with Vincent to those that didn’t get Below much. The notes said that, although the Helpers were considered part of their extended family, each of them could choose whether they wanted to speak to Vincent at the party or not.

Chapter 16

This note that arrived with his candle was the first knowledge that Peter had of how ‘the matter had been dealt with’ according to Father’s note of several months ago. The fact that it was still going on was what shocked him. Although he hadn’t planned on going to Winterfest - he had instead planned on spending the night with Cathy he knew how hard it would be for her - he was now torn. He simply had to find out more.

Since Peter hadn’t told Cathy he was planning on being with her that night, figuring correctly that she would only tell him he didn’t need to; instead he called Jenny, and after explaining the reason, got her to promise to spend the night with her friend.

Cathy knew Winterfest was coming; she could feel the aching aloneness it was causing in Vincent as well as the answering feelings in her. Her plan was to spend the night reading Shakespeare to the babies by candlelight in between bouts of the tears that she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep away.

Wondering who was interrupting her night of solitude, Cathy went to the door when the bell rang. Standing there was Jenny with a bag full of Chinese take out in one hand and a fist full of what turned out to be tear-jerker movies in the other. "I don’t suppose it would do me any good at all to tell you that I want to be alone, would it?" she asked as Jenny pushed by her and entered the apartment.

"Nope, not a bit!" Jenny replied, as she put the movies down on the coffee table and started to unpack the food. "Come and get it! I’m starved and I’m not eating for three!"

With a sad little laugh, Cathy sighed and accepted her fate. It was good to have friends like Jenny and Peter. She knew he had to have been the one to tell Jenny what this night was all about, because Cathy knew she’d never mentioned it to her.

Below, Vincent was dressed in his best clothes, but instead of heading towards the Great Hall like he should have been by then, he was standing there thinking about not going to Winterfest. He knew he was expected, but three or four of the men could lift the beam off the door; he didn’t need to be there for that. Because of the message of love, hope, and light that the lighting of the candle ceremony signified, and Vincent’s continued defiance of not bringing Catherine back down, Father had come to the painful decision to give his son’s part in the ceremony to someone else. This would be the first Winterfest since he’d left boyhood behind that he wouldn’t take part in the lighting ceremony. It was almost unbearable to consider. And on top of that, the fact that he wouldn’t be able to guide Catherine through the darkness this year and then be the one to light her candle.

He wondered, as he often did these days, if she had found someone new to love by now. There was no news of her from any of the Helpers, and even the newspapers were silent about her. So many times he would read of her working on one case or another for the DA’s office. They had seen stories about Joe in the paper several times, but not of Catherine. The society pages were also quiet about her. Even though she had left that life behind after her attack, there were still the occasional functions that she would have to attend, and often her picture would be in the paper the next day. But there had been no news of her in the last three months, and Vincent worried about that.

Mouse appeared in his chamber and then handed him a note that simply said, "Come now!" With a sigh he nodded at Mouse knowing that if he didn’t comply there would be more messengers with more notes until he did. Since no one should have to miss out on the festivities because of him, Vincent followed his silent young friend.

Chapter 17

Arriving at the massive doors to the Great Hall, Vincent was greeted with only nods as people parted so he could get to the doors. For a moment, as he lifted the bar off, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to think of Catherine. He had lived thirty-two years of his life without her, but ever since she had come into his life almost three years ago now, his life was all about her. Without her there didn’t seem to be any purpose any longer. Oh he was of help in the community, but his greatest joy had always been teaching the children and sharing the lives of his family though conversation. These days everything that seemed worth while in his life he had either pushed away, or had taken from him.

So there he sat at the table as the ceremony began with Pascal reciting his part. Pascal even threw an apologetic glance at Vincent as he said his part. Understanding that it had been Father’s decision and not Pascal’s, Vincent nodded at his friend that it was okay.

Dinner came next as he walked along the huge buffet table that William and his kitchen crew had loaded down with food. He listened to the conversation ebb and flow all around him. There were many of their Helpers from Above, but so far no one had spoken to him. As he looked around the room he could see people looking his way and talking. He knew he was the topic of at least three conversations just from the looks on the people’s faces. Vincent could guess what was being said about him and all he could do was wonder how soon he could leave.

As he walked by the area where Sebastian was performing his magic tricks for a group of children, Vincent was surprised to feel a hand on his arm stopping him. Sebastian looked up into Vincent’s sad eyes and said, "I was so very sorry to hear about you and Catherine."

Vincent almost didn’t know how to react. This was the first person to speak to him on over two months. As the children watched, in more awe, than the magic tricks had generated, Vincent replied, "Thank you Sebastian, but it was for the best."

"But is this continued Silence for the best?"

"The alternative would be far worse," he answered.

"All right my friend, but if you want to talk about it I’ll be here for you."

"Thank you Sebastian," Vincent said and moved away so the older man could go back to entertaining the children. Even in the fact that Sebastian was the only one that had talked to him, he didn’t want to take the man away from the children.

Nearing the table where Father was playing chess with one of the newer Helpers, he could hear the musicians tuning up so the dancing could start soon. Vincent vowed he would leave before that happened. Just as he was planning on heading towards the doors to that end, he saw Peter Alcott approaching.

Peter glared at Vincent as he stepped passed him to talk to Father. "Jacob what is the reason for this continuing Silence?"

Father looked up from contemplating the dire predicament his queen was in, to see his old friend standing there with a very angry expression. With a sigh, he conceded the game to Walter and said to Peter, "Vincent has been given an opportunity to end it. He must simply tell Catherine that her banishment was not a decision of the community, but his alone, and that she is welcome to return here Below at any time she likes."

After a moments thought Peter asked, "I see, and if he never does that, do you intend that no one ever talk to him again for the rest of his life?"

It was clear to both men that Vincent was standing there, close enough to hear every word even if he didn’t have extraordinary hearing. Jacob sighed and said, "I had hoped that he would come to his senses. It was never meant to go on this long. Who would have known he could be so stubborn?"

Peter snorted, "Like father, like son!"

Looking affronted Jacob retorted, "I was thinking he was behaving more like Devin!"

"Again, I would refer you to the paternal influence!"

"Yes, well…maybe so," Jacob conceded. Reaching out to put a hand on Peter’s arm, he asked, "How is Catherine? We’ve heard no word of her at all."

"Do you want the truth or the sugar coated version?" Peter asked him.

"The truth of course," Jacob insisted.

Chapter 18

Now Vincent was openly staring and listening to the two men. Any scrap of information on Catherine brought her closer to him, even though from what Peter had asked, the news didn’t sound good.

"I think I’d better sit down," Peter said, and after taking the seat Walter had vacated, he looked from Vincent to Jacob before continuing, "Cathy hasn’t been well. She’d lost weight and even though she’s gained it back now, she still isn’t eating or sleeping like she should. I’ve had to put her on vitamin supplements to help her. From the night it happened, her friend Jenny Aronson moved into the apartment with her to keep a twenty-four hour a day watch on Cathy…"

"Good Lord why?!" Father asked.

"Because she was suicidal," Peter answered softly, not wanting anyone else in the Hall to overhear.

Vincent couldn’t help himself, he had to deny this! "Not Catherine! She would never do such a thing! She is too full of life!"

Peter answered, looking at Jacob as if he had spoken and not Vincent, "I don’t know how else to interpret ‘a quick trip to the street from the balcony sounds pretty good’! Those were her very words to Jenny!"

Vincent closed his eyes, but he couldn’t stop the tears from escaping. He had done this to his Beloved Catherine! Made her contemplate throwing her life away! As he stood there berating himself, he didn’t draw the parallel that he should have, considering the many times he had stood at the edge of the Abyss and thought about ending it all.

"Is Ms. Aronson still staying with Catherine? Is there still a danger…of her…" Father trailed off.

"No to both questions. Jenny returned to work and her own apartment and Cathy has pulled herself up and is trying to get on with her life." After a pause Peter added, "She has even talked about moving away from New York." That was added as casually as he could in order to see what kind of reaction he would get from Vincent.

Vincent just stood there with a vacant expression. It was Father that said, "Considering all that has happened, that might be the best thing for her."

A look of almost hatred flickered across Vincent’s face as he spun on his heel and left the room.

Jacob waited until his son was out of ear shot and then asked Peter, "How much of that was for Vincent’s benefit and how much of it was true?"

"The answer to both questions is ‘all of it’," Peter told him.

"Good Lord! That poor girl!"

"You don’t know the half of it Jacob! But as her doctor I simply can’t say anymore."

"I understand my friend. But please know that if there is ever anything I can do for Catherine, I don’t want you to hesitate to ask."

"I’ll remember that," Peter promised.

***

Peter had decided not to tell Cathy about what had happened at Winterfest; and since she didn’t ask, it was never mentioned between the two of them.

Things had changed for Vincent after Winterfest. Because of Peter’s words to Father, Jacob had some thinking to do. After a couple of days of serious consideration, he decided to bring the matter up at the next Council meeting.

Once the normal topics of repairs that needed doing, progress reports on the children’s classes, and how their supplies were holding out were taken care of, Father announced that he had something he wanted to talk to them about. With everyone’s attention focused on him, Father looked at Vincent before telling the rest of the Council what Peter had said.

Not wanting to get his hopes up, Vincent still wondered where this might lead. He listened to Father say, "So even though I still believe that Vincent was very wrong in what he did, it is also clear that the mere thought of having Catherine free to visit us is painful to him. Even though Catherine started out as a Helper and then became a valued member of this community, we still must take into consideration the feelings of someone who has been a part of our family for over thirty years. To that end, I would like to propose an end to the Silence."

Chapter 19

There were nods of approval all around the table as Vincent sat there in hopeful silence. "Alright then, just to make it official, I’d like a show of hands of those in favor of lifting the Silence. Every hand in the room went up except Vincent’s. "You don’t want us to lift the Silence Vincent?" Father asked him in astonishment.

"Not at all Father. I just thought that this is one vote I should abstain from."

"Yes…well…it clearly wouldn’t matter. Even if you were voting against it, you would have been overruled by an overwhelming majority."

As the others just sat there grinning at Father’s little bit of humor, Vincent wondered what else his parent had up his sleeve. With Father there was always something. This reprieve from the Silence wouldn’t come without a price, so he sat there waiting quietly to find out what it was.

When Jacob realized that Vincent wasn’t going to say anything at that point, he started to speak again, "I think that we should find a way to let Catherine know that while her presence here Below would hurt you, that I’m sure there are members of the community that would like to stay in touch with her, myself included."

"Can we be sure that she will see it that way Father and not just as an attempt to have her continued support as a Helper?" William asked in genuine concern.

"Catherine wouldn’t view such a gesture in that way William!" Vincent protested. "She would see it in the spirit that it was offered. However, I think this is a bad idea Father! Catherine has had no contact with our world in over three months and she has most certainly gotten on with her life as Peter said. I think we should leave things as they are."

"I’m sorry Vincent, but I disagree with you. At the very least, sending her some kind of message proposing this couldn’t hurt; and, if she doesn’t want further contact with us, surely that is for her to say!" Father stated.

Not wanting any further disagreements between father and son, Mary suggested, "What if we were to consult Peter on this? He knows Catherine so very well and would certainly know how she would react to such an overture."

"That is a wonderful idea Mary!" exclaimed Father.

There were other nods around the table and even Vincent had to concede that if Father was determined to do this, then going through Peter would be the best way. It was decided that Father would write the note and have it delivered to Peter asking him the best way to present it to Catherine.

Above, Peter read the note when it was delivered by one of the tunnel children. He sighed, knowing that Catherine couldn’t accept the offer in her condition without greatly increasing the risk of Vincent finding out about her pregnancy. Nonetheless he stopped by her apartment on his way home that evening to talk to her about it.

Cathy was happy to see him and invited him in to see the newest things that had arrived for the babies the day before. Peter admired them and then came to the point of his visit.

A tear slid down her cheek as she said, "Peter that’s a really mean trick to play!"

"What do you mean Cathy? It’s no trick! This is a real note from Father asking if you would be willing to let some of the community visit you."

As the truth in his eyes registered she became even more upset. "I would love that, but you know better than anyone why I can’t!" she said with her hand on her tummy.

"You could swear each visitor to secrecy."

"That might work until Mouse came by. He would never be able to keep this kind of thing a secret, no matter how good his intentions were," she fretted.

"You’re probably right there," Peter agreed.

"So how can I turn them down without hurting them?! Without telling them the truth, there is no way to turn them down nicely!"

"I’m afraid you’re right Cathy. There isn’t any excuse that you could give that wouldn’t sound like you were rejecting them…unless…" he paused to consider his next words before speaking. "Although I hate lying at any time, for you I could tell them that you had already moved out of New York," he offered hesitantly.

Chapter 20

Knowing what even an offer like that had cost her very honest friend to make, Cathy said, "No Peter, there is no way that I would ask you to lie like that for me."

"You didn’t ask me Cathy, I offered."

"I know, but I would be consenting to it if I let you do it. No, I’ll just have to find a way to make them understand in the note I send back."

"If that is really what you want Cathy, then I will make sure that it gets to Father when you have written it."

"Thank you again Peter."

Since Vincent’s birthday was a mere two days after the Silence was lifted, everyone felt that it was necessary to make a big celebration of it this year. Everyone was thrilled to be able to talk to their favorite tunnel resident again; and even though Catherine’s name was often brought up, Vincent still reveled in having his family once again talking to him.

His classes were also returned to him and the children were overjoyed to have him back. It wasn’t that their substitute teachers hadn’t been fine, but it was just that Vincent had a very special quality about him. He made it a joy to learn.

Even though the Silence had been lifted Father was still worried about his son. Vincent no longer went Above, something he had always loved and Father had hated. However Jacob could see the changes in his son since the break up with Catherine. He had lost weight and even though he needed much less sleep than anyone else seemed to, he was getting even less than was usual for him. Vincent had also become even more introspective and quiet if that were possible.

Father tried talking to Vincent about it, but he quickly made it clear to one and all that Catherine was the one topic of conversation that was off limits with him.

Even though the note to Peter had been delivered on the same day the Silence had been lifted, Catherine’s answer didn’t arrive until two days later, on Vincent’s birthday. Father couldn’t help but wonder if that had some significance. However after reading the letter, he asked Geoffrey, who had delivered it, not to say anything about its arrival. Father did not want to have to tell the community what it said and spoil the festive mood of Vincent’s party.

After reading her letter, Father knew that there was something she wasn’t saying. It was so clear that there was an underlying meaning to what she said, but for the life of him he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. All he knew was that her words would sadden all of her friends Below, even if the news it contained might confirm Vincent’s belief that she had moved on with her life.

Catherine agonized over every word of the letter that she sent Below. That was why it took her two days to finish it. The date did not escape her notice either, and she wondered if she should have waited another day to have her message delivered. Would it seem extremely cruel to him that her refusal of the tunnel communities visits come on his birthday? Or would he even care at this point? Even as that thought struck her, she knew that he would. Vincent still loved her; she could feel it every day through the Bond. She only wished at times that she couldn’t so she wouldn’t feel the pain of that loss so freshly each day. Each word that she had written brought Vincent’s face to mind; and even though he was never far from her thoughts with his babies growing under her heart, like they were, this letter to his family was extremely painful to write.

Chapter 21

Dear friends and family Below,

I want to thank you for your kind and considerate message. However, although I do miss all of you deeply, I cannot at this time consider having visitors from Below. Even though it has been months since Vincent and I parted, the wounds from that are still much too fresh to see someone from his world. It would only serve to remind me of what I have lost. I know that you all mean well and only wish to keep in contact with me, and I would be very glad to hear from you through Peter. He has assured me that he will pass along any messages that you would care to send me. Unfortunately, at this time that is the only contact that I feel up to. I hope that you will respect my wishes, and try not to take it personally. I don’t wish to hurt or offend anyone there, but right now I need to face the rest of my life without Vincent in it. Seeing any of you would only remind me of the life I have been denied. Please know that I wish all of you the best that life has to offer and if there is ever anything that I can do for any of you, you have only to send word via Peter and I will see that it is done.

Catherine

Father had been right to hold her letter until after the party for Vincent. The next day when he called everyone together to read it to them, it was as if a pall had fallen over the tunnels. Someone they considered one of their own was hurting and none of them could do anything about it. Vincent felt the guilt of this severely. Because of him, his family could not go to one they felt was in need. He knew that they thought less of him because of this, but felt at a loss as to what he could do about it.

Left with no choice, unless they wished to ignore her wishes, the community could not go to her. Instead many of them did send words of love and comfort in letters and notes conveyed to her via Peter. Catherine read and answered the ones that she felt needed it. But each one took its toll on her, and Peter saw it each time that another message from Below was delivered to her.

As the weeks passed, Catherine continued to grow much to her dismay and Peter’s amusement. During her five month check up he announced that she was already the size of most of his eight month patients. Cathy glared at him as he listened to the fetal heartbeats of her babies. There was a strange expression on his face when he brought up a subject that she thought had been settled the month before. "Cathy, I’d like to do another ultrasound," he informed her.

"Peter, we discussed this! I don’t want to know the sexes, or if the twins will look like Vincent or me. I want to be surprised."

"Well, if I’m right you might get more of a surprise than you’re ready for!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" she demanded.

"I think I hear a third heartbeat…"

"WHAT!?" Cathy gasped. The idea of twins had been exciting, if a little scary; however, the prospect of triplets was down right frightening.

Waving his hand in front of her stunned face, Peter said, "Earth to Cathy, are you in there?"

"I guess so," she replied slowly then added, "Me and a whole lot of babies, it seems."

"That’s why I wanted you to have another ultrasound to be sure."

"No Peter, as long as there’s no reason to think there’s a problem, my reasons for not doing that are the same."

"But don’t you want to know for sure?"

"Not really. I can just prepare for three and then if there’s only two, the biggest problem is that I will have more clothes than I need."

"There is something else that I was holding off talking to you about, but now that there might be three babies, I think it’s something that can’t be put off any longer."

Dreading that this might be a demand that she tell Vincent, Cathy asked, "What is it Peter?"

Chapter 22

"Cathy, multiple births often happen early, and with three instead of two that would be even truer. Also, with the way the babies seem to be growing and developing, I highly doubt that you will reach your ninth month before giving birth. With Vincent’s unique DNA, we don’t know if the shorter gestation period will still have the babies completely developed."

His words were beginning to frighten Cathy. All she wanted was to have a safe delivery and healthy children. "Peter, what are you saying?"

"I think that to be on the safe side we should have incubators here in case we need them. I don’t know if we will, but it’s better to be safe than sorry."

"Is there something that you aren’t telling me Peter?"

"No, but I wouldn’t be doing my job in providing you the best medical care if I wasn’t ready for any eventuality. If you were having the babies in the hospital, the incubators would be there and available if needed, but since we can’t chance a hospital delivery, we should be just as prepared here as we can be. They can be rented and then returned if we don’t need them or when the babies are done with them."

"Why do you think that the incubators would be needed?" she persisted.

"You’ve had a perfectly normal pregnancy with the exception that I don’t think you’ll go nine months. However, you’re small Cathy, and triplet babies could be small too. If they’re less than five pounds, I’d want them in an incubator until they reached that weight."

"With as much weight as I’ve gained, I don’t see how they could be under five pounds!" she protested.

Peter laughed at the look on her face and said, "There is a very real possibility that they won’t need them, my dear."

"Okay, you just tell me what to order and I’ll make sure they’re here. How soon do you think we’ll need them?"

"Well, you’re only five months along now and to my best guess, I think you’ll be about two months early. So, as long as you have them here in two months, we should be good."

"So you’re thinking the first part of May?" At his nod she sighed happily, "That’s great! I won’t have to be pregnant through the heat of the summer!"

He laughed at her happy expression and then brought up the other subject on his mind, "Cathy, I know you plan on nursing and I was pretty sure that with twins you would have enough milk, but if there is a third one in there, there’s a chance you might have to supplement with formula."

"I hadn’t thought of that, but you’re probably right. I’ll add that to my list of things to get. You know when you started this" incubator" talk I thought you were going to ask me to tell Vincent. I’m kind of surprised that you’ve never mentioned that."

"Don’t get me wrong Cathy, I do think Vincent should know; however, I do understand your reasons for not doing so. I just know how I would feel in his place."

"Peter, if you were in his place, you would’ve asked me to marry you years ago and we would have been living happily Below right now!" Cathy protested.

"Yes, I guess you’re right there. Okay, let me write out what you should order and then I’ll be on my way. I do want to see you in a month, so I’ll call before I stop by. As always, if you have any questions or concerns before then, just give me a call."

"Okay, and thank you Peter," she said and showed him to the door.

It was April first when Jenny called to say that it had to be a bad joke that she was being called out of town to nursemaid a new author that was having a major case of stage fright before her first book came out. She swore up and down that she would only be gone a few days, and that if the woman didn’t ‘straighten up and fly right’ she would kick her in the seat of her pants and come home anyway.

Cathy laughed and told Jenny that she was still a month from Peter’s best guess at her new due date and that there was nothing to worry about.

Chapter 23

The day had crept up on her without warning. She had been so busy getting ready for the babies to arrive that when she woke the morning of April 12^th, Catherine suddenly felt as if the weight of the world had come crashing down upon her. Instead, she realized that it was the end of her dream of a life with Vincent. Surely if he had been going to change his mind he would have done so by now; and if ever there was a time for them to reunite, it would have been now, so they could have spent their third anniversary together.

Running her hand over her swollen tummy as she lay in bed, too sad to even get up and face the day, she said, "Well babies, it really looks like it’s going to be just the four of us against the world. You know I think that we will go and live at the cabin even if none of you look like your daddy. Being out of the city might help me to let go more than I have."

Finally, it was an ache in her back that got her out of bed. No matter how she laid, she couldn’t find a comfortable position. She thought about reading, but everything that she was in the mood for reminded her of Vincent; so in a fit of industry that she wasn’t sure where it came from, she started to pack the things that she would want to move to the cabin with her. Jenny had always loved her apartment, so Cathy would offer it to her. She’d also be able to leave most of the furniture behind since the cabin was already furnished.

Cathy wanted to talk over her new plan with Jenny, but her friend was still out of town nursemaiding their newest author. She swore every time they talked on the phone that she would be back in time for the delivery. According to Peter’s calculations, they still had two weeks.

The backache didn’t subside throughout the day, even though she’d already drunk a pot and a half of Mr. Lee’s pain-relieving tea. By early afternoon, the ache had turned into twinges and Cathy faced the possibility that she could be in labor. Calling Peter’s office she was put right through to him and after answering what seemed like endless questions, she was told that it sounded like this could be the real thing. He added that he had no one due until the weekend, so he would just continue with his normal office hours until one of two things happened. When her contractions got to be eight to ten minutes apart, or her water broke, she was to call him and he would hurry right over.

Since no call had come from Cathy, Peter was glad to think that it had been a false alarm. It seemed that all of a sudden there was a rush on the need for his services. He was in the middle of telling one patient that her dreams had finally come true and she was pregnant when the first call came from the hospital. Mrs. Franz was in labor. He was in his car on the way there when he got the call that said Mrs. Jackson would meet him there as well.

Even with two of his patients in labor, he would have felt safe leaving his resident in charge to go to Cathy if she had called. However, when the third one of his patients called, he prayed that the call from Cathy wouldn’t come. This third patient was an unwed teenager having her first child, which she intended to give up for adoption. Peter had known he would have to hold her hand through the whole process, especially now, since she wasn’t due for another month.

When Manny Perez, the hospital’s attending obstetrician, had to go home with severe stomach cramps that he guessed was caused from eating the two day old egg salad sandwich he’d had in his car because he was so rushed to get to work on time, Peter was put in charge of his two patients, since he was the next one on call. Now, eternally grateful that Cathy’s pains had been a false alarm, Peter hurried from one woman to another. It would have been a disaster if Cathy had called then, because with five women in labor, there was no way he could have left the hospital.

Cathy knew this was Peter’s late night in the office. So she had waited until the pains were eight minutes apart rather than ten, thus giving him an extra hour or so at the office, before she placed her call.

Chapter 24

Peter looked down at his beeper and his heart dropped into his shoes when he saw that it was Cathy’s number listed. He had the nurse in the room place a call to that number and hand him the phone, his other hand was in the death grip of Laurie Myers, the teen who was in her middle stages of labor. "Hello, Cathy?"

"Got it in one Peter! Ready to become an honorary grandpa?" she asked as cheerfully, trying to hide her nervousness from him.

"Oh god, honey, not now!"

"What?! Has something happened, Peter?"

"Yes, just about everything that you can think of! I have five women in labor right now at the hospital and there is no way that I can leave at this time. How far apart are your contractions, Cathy?"

"Oh dear! I waited as long as I could, thinking you were at the office seeing patients. They are less than eight minutes apart now."

"Damn it! Cathy there isn’t any way I can get to you in time! We are going to have to get word to Jacob! He is close enough that he could be there in time to deliver the babies. I will send word through Mr. Lee that he has to get to you as quickly as possible!"

"Peter!" Cathy called out as her doctor was going to hang up the phone and call their friend at the Tea Shop.

"Yes?" he answered in a nearly frantic voice.

"You have to say in the note that Vincent NOT be told! That is important Peter! I don’t want him coming just for the babies. In fact, it would be best that if in the note you could avoid mentioning that I am in labor."

"I guess I could just say that it was a medical emergency. Are you sure about Vincent, Cathy?"

"YES!" she stated firmly and a bit louder than she had intended, since she was in the middle of another contraction and her water had just broken. Informing Peter of that, he hung up without saying good bye and she was left to pace around the apartment and wait for Father to arrive. ‘Oh god how was he going to take this?’ she wondered as she paced.

Below, Eric hurried through the tunnels on his way to father’s study. He was told the note that he carried was of the utmost importance, and even though he didn’t know what ‘ut’ meant, he did know what most important meant! His feet flew and he bounced off the walls in his rush to take as little time as possible in delivering a note from Catherine! Maybe she was coming back to them! He certainly hoped so! She was one of his favorites, and he knew that Vincent hadn’t been happy since the break-up.

Father opened the note that the young boy pressed into his hand after flying into the room. He was about to scold him for running like that when he saw who the note was about. Reading it over twice to make sure that he hadn’t misunderstood, he told Eric to run and get Mary as fast as he could! So much for telling the child not to run!

Mary entered the study moments later and Father looked up as he hurried across the room. "Mary, I will need my bag and you should probably come with me! We must make every haste!"

"What’s wrong, Father?"

"It seems that there is a medical emergency involving Catherine. Peter can’t leave the hospital and has asked me to get to her as quickly as possible!"

"I will go as fast as I can!" she exclaimed as she started from the room.

"Mary!" Father’s voice halted her in her tracks.

As she turned back to see why he had stopped her, he said, "The note said that Vincent was NOT to be told under any circumstances!"

Nodding her head sadly, Mary complied and rushed from the room.

What neither of them knew was that Vincent had been on his way to ask Father for a game of chess and had overheard the entire exchange.

Chapter 25

Catherine felt the jolt of fear go through Vincent and knew that somehow he had learned of the note Peter had promised to send Below. Even though he had sworn that he would make it clear Vincent was NOT to be told, he had somehow found out. Whether he had intercepted the person taking it to Father, or it had been given to him by mistake, or possibly even that Father had ignored the instructions and told him, it didn’t matter, the result was the same. Vincent was on his way to her and because of that, not only did she have to deal with being alone and in labor, but now she had very little time to prepare for a very troubling visitor.

Rushing to the French doors in her bedroom, she made sure they were locked and that the curtains were drawn. Quickly closing the doors between her bedroom and living room, she wished that she had a large winged back chair to hide behind. As she opened the French doors to her dining area, Catherine had to come up with another plan. Spying the afghan on the back of one of her couches, she folded it and laid it over the back of one of her wooden dining chairs. This would hopefully hide her very large and obvious tummy from Vincent’s sight.

She had just enough time to make sure that the front door was unlocked so Father could just come in without her moving and to get to her hiding spot before Vincent appeared on her balcony. Even in her haste to get ready for his visit she could still feel all he was feeling through the Bond. He was terribly frightened that she was badly hurt, and worried about why she had called for Father. He couldn’t, in his wildest thoughts, come up with the real reason for THAT!

Drinking in the sight of him, she could see the toll their separation had taken. He was noticeably thinner, even in his heavy clothes and cloak, as well as looking drawn as if he wasn’t sleeping. Nonetheless, she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. The five month separation was the longest by far that they had ever been apart, except for the eight months it had taken him to find the courage to visit her after she’d left the tunnels upon recovering from her attack.

They stood there staring at each other for what seemed an eternity, but it was actually only a few seconds before Vincent started into the room asking, "Catherine, what is wrong? Father got a note saying you were having a medical emergency?!"

Holding up her hand to stop him at the threshold, she said, "The message also said you were not to be told."

"I wasn’t. I overheard Father telling Mary to get his bag and that they needed to hurry to get here to you! Are you hurt or ill? Please let me help!" he pleaded trying to come closer to her.

But this time her other hand came up as if to hold him back by the sheer force of her will. "Vincent, if that is the only reason you’re here, then you can leave now!"

"Catherine! I can’t leave if you are ill or hurt!" he insisted.

"And there you go again…not listening to me!"

"Catherine, I always listen to you!" he protested.

"Alright, I guess you do, but you only hear what you want to hear!" she retorted.

"I don’t know what you mean," he denied.

"Yes you do!" she snapped, at that moment she wasn’t in the mood to be kind. "If you really listened to me, you would know that I wanted a lif