As Catherine, lovingly held her injured Vincent in her arms, she wiped the dripping blood from his brow. Helplessly she said, "Vincent...I was so afraid they were going to kill all of you. I was stuck here in this cage, and there was nothing I could do to help! I am worried about Pascal and Ronald! They were carried away by Paracelsus's mutant men, to...to only God knows where...and you..."
Catherine then looked down on her Vincent, and tearfully said, "...you...Oh Vincent...look at you. You are hurt, and injured."
Catherine bent her head sorrowfully and cried, "We have to get out of here so you can get medical attention...if anything happens to you..."
Vincent soothed her by saying, "I'll be fine, just a few bruises...don't concern your self so, I have confidence Father will come to Ronald and Pascal's aid."
He then winced in pain as he looked up at her, and he laboriously promised, "Somehow, we will make it safely back home."
He continued on, feeling downhearted too as he disappointedly said, "This was to be our day..."
Vincent looked up at Catherine, and as he touched her cheek, he said, "I have waited for this day to come, so that I may ask you...to ask..."
Vincent halted his sentence, because of the pain from his bruised ribs. As he contained his agony, he resignedly continued, "...however...bleakly, now we are here...captives of Paracelsus..."
Catherine then saw a change come over Vincent as his whole demeanor shifted, and he seemed to be very agitated as he turned his head wildly from side to side.
As he attempted to get up, Catherine tried to stop him. He defiantly pulled away from her, and he then shakily stood over her.
Catherine looked questionably up at him, as she saw a wildness in his eyes she had never seen before. The brilliant blue had now turned dark and they narrowed as he looked at her.
Catherine nervously stood too, and softly cried his name, "Vincent..."
As he approached, her, she realized the drug was taking control!
Softly, in a soothing manner she tried to calm him as she said, "Vincent, try to fight the drug Paracelsus gave you. You can do it, just reach through our bond, and I will help you..."
As Catherine held out her arms for him, he fell into them and helplessly clung to her for salvation!
Catherine felt his arms tighten around her, and she could see Vincent was trying to tell her something. Weakly he said, "Catherine..."
He stopped for a moment, as his mind was growing fuzzy! He then shook his head, in an attempt to clear his thoughts. He tried desperately to hang on, as he tried to speak once more, "Cath..."
However, it was useless, as the drug made it difficult for him to speak.
Paracelsus walked in just then and scurrilously said, "Now isn't this sweet. What a touching sight! We have the Beauty, and the...well we must not deny what you are deep inside Vincent...you are a Beast!"
As Paracelsus approached the cage, he commanded Vincent's attention as he bellowed, "You must release the beastly side of your nature, and let him thrive, let him live Vincent...let him come to the surface. Now, now, It is not fair to deprive him of getting to know Catherine too, now is it?"
Vincent looked to Paracelsus, and as he advanced the bars, he bared his teeth. As the anger he felt toward Paracelsus rose, so too did a growl from deep inside of him.
This delighted Paracelsus, who stepped back and laughed. He had always wanted to nurture the inhuman side of Vincent's nature, wanting to observe and use him for his own diabolical purposes.
Catherine watched in horror, as Paracelsus laughed at Vincent. The softness Jennifer was able to isolate from Paracelsus's drug altered soul earlier, was no where to be found now. He had clearly chosen the evil side of his ego to dominate his heart, and he seemed to be depraved through and through.
Now, what Paracelsus hoped for, was to have Catherine witness the dark side of Vincent, in full bloom, and then out of fear of him...she would leave him, never to look back. Or...Paracelsus also surmised, the injection he had given to Vincent, could perhaps cause him to lose all control, and kill her!
Either way, whatever it took to amputate Catherine's influence from Vincent would be acceptable!
Then Paracelsus could have him to himself...as his bloodthirsty son...at last.
Paracelsus tried to incite Vincent by saying to Catherine, "Look at him now Catherine, look at him! How can you reconcile being in love with a man-beast? Or is that what excites you about him?"
Catherine hated this man for saying these things! How could he be so hateful?
As she looked at Vincent, she felt he was on the verge of losing himself! She screamed and shouted, "Vincent don't listen to him, please, that is not who you are! You know, and I know you are a good, gentle man!"
Vincent raised his head, and let out a guttural growl, that echoed throughout the caverns below. As he began to step toward Catherine, he looked at her and he felt a lusty passion rise to a level it never had before, and it was without any protocol, reservations, or restraints.
Catherine stepped back and screamed his name once more, and said, "Vincent! You know it is the drug making you act like this. Don't give Paracelsus the satisfaction of winning!"
As she held fast his gaze, Catherine could see the beautiful blue of his eyes overtake the blackened dilation and she recognized he was winning the struggle against the evil drug that was issued to him.
Vincent brought his hands up and held his head, in an attempt to steady his ranging thoughts, and emotions, then tearfully and painfully, he fell to the floor!
Catherine knelt beside him, and bravely put her arms around him, and said, "Vincent it's all right now. You have won. The gentle goodness within your heart is too strong for the evil harshness that consumes the heart of Paracelsus."
Catherine then stood, and turned to Paracelsus and defiantly said, "Even a drug cannot make Vincent betray his goodness. Let us out of here so I can take care of him."
Catherine looked back at Vincent and saw him wince once more from the pain, and she then tearfully pleaded, "He needs help or he could bleed to death! If you have even an ounce of goodness, somewhere left in your soul...please let us out of here!"
Just then, the rescue team appeared behind Paracelsus, and Jacob shouted, "Let them go Paracelsus, you have nothing left to gain!"
Paracelsus turned to look at Jacob, and in astonishment he said, "How foolish for you all to return here! Don't you realize I could have had you all killed before, with just the snap of my fingers? I let you escape! It is Vincent I want...my son!"
Jacob stepped up to Paracelsus and said, "John, if it is a son's love that you seek...you will never receive it this way...let Catherine and Vincent go. It may be your only chance to earn it,"
Paracelsus in biting wonderment asked, "Earn it?"
As he walked to the cage and looked down at Vincent, lying helplessly on the stone floor, he then stared off as he softly said, "I have earned it Jacob. I doctored him too, as an infant, remember?"
Paracelsus then grew angry as he expounded, "Then you took him from me!"
Jacob shouted, "I had to, John! I had to! You know you were losing your grip on who you once were! John the brilliant Doctor! You started experimenting and testing drugs on yourself! I had to take Vincent for the sake of his safety, since Anna was becoming weak from what ever it was you were giving her!"
Paracelsus then laughingly said, "Ah yes, and so we come back to that subject, do we? You were going to have the contents of the vile tested, to see what I was giving to Anna..."
Paracelsus's gleeful manner ended as quickly at it began, and he then said, "She was slipping away from me...I had to do something!"
Jacob with disdain in his voice asked, "So you drugged her?"
Paracelsus scoffed, "Drugged her, or medicated her? That is for you to decide."
Jacob then vowed, "As soon as we have that vile tested, then we will know...and I promise you this...it will be tested. I am sure you checked my person for the vile when I was still sedated...and you must know I did not have the vile with me."
Paracelsus admitted, "Yes, I checked... and I am aware you haven't the vile. However it really doesn't matter now does it. After all these years...what does it matter?"
Paracelsus then buffed his fingernails on his shirt and mockingly inquired, "What do you plan to do if you find it was a poisonous substance...have me arrested? I think not Jacob. That would begin the beguine...and lead to the end of your world, as you now know it. What would become of Vincent then?"
Jacob knew he was right. There would be no consequences for Paracelsus to suffer, no life sentences issued onto him, and no death penalty for him to agonizingly await.
The truth was being sought for Vincent, he needed to know the truth, and Jacob himself needed to know as well. And perhaps, Anna is waiting for justice, so her soul can finally be at rest.
To be continued
Chapter Eleven
| A Dream Within a Dream! By Sharon Holtz Chapter Ten |
