While Catherine sat, waiting for Vincent to search his heart, she grew unsure of what Vincent would tell her. She thought he may ask her to leave him, because it would be in her best interest, to go back to her own world.
She was so frightened, that after everything they had been through, this was where it would all end.
As Vincent stepped to the threshold, his heart broke at the site before him. There Catherine sat, softly crying on the cold chamber floor, waiting for him. What had he done to his confident, headstrong little warrior?
Softly, Vincent said, “Catherine…”
Searchingly, she looked up, and answered, “Yes Vincent?”
Stepping into the chamber, he knelt down beside her, and as he took her hand in his, he looked down and marveled at its pale delicate beauty.
Vincent gathered his thoughts before he spoke. With a rich and raspy voice, heavy laden with emotion, he lovingly said, “If you would still accept my world as yours...receive my love as I so desire to give it...and allow me to share my life with yours, I ask of you…stay.”
Catherine cried tears of joy, as she whispered, “Oh yes Vincent, I want to stay here with you, so badly.”
Vincent then took Catherine in his arms and marveled, “How do you manage to see through the quagmire so clearly?”
Sweetly, Catherine touched his face, and said, “Because I see with my heart Vincent…I see with my heart.”
Vincent huskily whispered, “Yes…you do Catherine. You have reminded me tonight, of the words I recited to you by Dylan Thomas. And so in answer to your question, yes, I do believe love lives on, with no boundaries, and am ashamed, for a moment...I forgot that truth.”
Vincent held her tighter to him, never wanting to let her go. As she snuggled deeper into Vincent’s arms, she silently sat, wondering why Vincent cannot achieve the serenity, she has found in their love.
Feeling her melancholy, Vincent asked, “Besides my foolishness tonight, what else weighs on your mind so?”
Catherine spoke softly, saying, “Our love should bring you a contentment, not such unrest. I know since I have found you…my soul has lost its restlessness, I want you to know that peace too. I wonder why it can't be the same for you.”
Vincent tried to find an answer to Catherine’s question! Finally, he said, “It is because of how I view the world. I do not see with my heart as you do, I see things with my mind and sensibilities. I question my selfishness wanting you for myself."
Vincent looked down at their intertwined hands, and said, "It is because of who I am, and because of who you are Catherine. I want you to know every happiness in this life, you deserve a man who can fulfill those things for you.”
Catherine then lovingly asked, “Don’t you want to be that man, Vincent?”
Looking upward, he said, “Yes, however things are limited and complicated for us…because I am different…”
Catherine interrupted with her soft passionate voice, and said, “Your heart is the same, the same as any other man's, and you deserve to have someone love you, someone who will give you everything. I want to love to you…and I long to give you everything I have.”
Vincent looked down at Catherine, knowing she waged a strong case against him, and he had no other choice, but to concede. As she reached up to smooth his tangled tresses. The embrace they shared, owned a declaration that nothing has changed. They are together again, as should be.
Suddenly...Catherine and Vincent could hear a commotion coming toward them from out in the tunnels!
Catherine and Vincent both stepped to the threshold, and as Mouse arrived ahead of Ronald, he declared, “See! I knew Catherine would find Vincent! I told Father she would, didn't I Ronald?”
The moment Ronald arrived, he quickly said, "Sorry for the intrusion. It is just when Mouse told Father he sent Catherine down this old abandoned tunnel to look for you, well he insisted we come and check on her. He nearly came too!”
Trying to lighten the moment, Ronald added, "Nothing against you Catherine, but I got lost down this tunnel myself once!"
Catherine looked at Ronald and Mouse to sincerely say, “Thank you for your concern, but I managed all right.”
Mouse pouted, as he relayed, “Father was mad cuz I didn’t walk with Catherine, but I knew Catherine was smart and would find her way.”
Catherine looked at Mouse and smiled, “Well thank you for your confidence in me. That means so much coming from the master scout of them all!”
Mouse blushed, and asked Vincent, “Your not upset and sad any more?”
Vincent placed his hand on Mouse’s shoulder, as he professed, “Catherine has managed to dispel my sadness. It was a foolishness on my part. I am fine now.”
Ronald then cleared his throat, and tried to hide his smile, as he said, “Well, good Catherine is safe, and Vincent is fine. We should NOW report back to Father!”
"Ok, fine..." Mouse started to browse around this old chamber, and found an old mining type chisel, and excitedly said, “Hey, could use this…”
Ronald once again said, “We should let Father know everything is all right MOUSE!”
Catherine reluctantly looked at Vincent and said, “Maybe I should go too. I need to talk to Jenny. Will you walk back to the threshold with me?”
Vincent said, “Yes Catherine of course.”
He then heaved a sigh, feeling badly their reunion didn't go as planned. He was so eager to show Catherine her chamber. And so he said, “Your chamber is completed…perhaps tomorrow, I may show it to you.”
Excitedly, Catherine said, “Oh Vincent is it finished? There was so much to do! How in the world did you manage to complete it?”
Vincent looked to Ronald, as they started their trek back to the main tunnels, and said, “I could not have done it with out my good friend’s help. Ronald was right there at my side every step of the way.”
Not wanting to leave Mouse out of the equation, Vincent added, “And….Mouse too, of course helped as well.”
Catherine took a deep breath and said, “Thank you for helping Vincent prepare my chamber for me.”
Ronald turned to Catherine and said, “I was happy to help, help both of my friends.”
Mouse then chimed in, and said, “Me too Catherine, very happy to help!”
Catherine smiled up at Vincent, trying to stifle her amusement, as she saw how happy it made Mouse to be included in the accolades.
Catherine then expressed, "I wish there was time for me to see my chamber, but I know once I see it, I won't want to leave, and I need to see Jenny tonight. If I know her, she is going to sit and fret until she hears from me.”
Vincent took Catherine’s hand, and as they neared the main tunnels he said, “Your chamber will be here waiting for you Catherine, I understand if you need to go to your dear friend.”
Catherine smiled at Vincent, and said, “Jenny told me she likes you very much Vincent and is worried she may have done something to upset you.”
Hearing them talk about Jennifer, caused Ronald to inquire, “Is Jenny the friend who wanted to be a paleontologist along with you, Catherine?”
Nodding, she answered, “Yes, she is Ronald, she’s the one. Be prepared, if you bring up the subject tomorrow. You will not get her to stop talking!”
As they approached Catherine’s basement threshold, Ronald discreetly yanked Mouse back, to wait in the tunnel for Vincent.
Catherine and Vincent held each other, and hugged a sad goodbye, with Catherine saying, “I’ll be back in the morning Vincent. Shall I come early?”
Vincent said, “Yes, I’ll be waiting for you within my chamber, and then I will take you on to yours.”
Catherine reached, touching Vincent's face, and said, “Until tomorrow.”
Vincent stood and watched, as Catherine climbed up into her world, knowing these lonely good-byes, will soon, no longer be so.
Vincent returned to his friends, to find Mouse was gone.
Ronald explained, “Mouse said, he would go speak with Father, and had more jobs to plan for the workers tomorrow.”
Vincent tipped his head, and with a smile asked, “Are you up for visit to the Painted Tunnels? I need to check on a project Elizabeth is working on for Catherine.”
Undoubtedly, Ronald said, “Of course, maybe on our way back, we can sneak into the kitchen, I am hoping to find some of William’s left over roasted chicken to feast on!”
Vincent agreed, “Ah yes, sounds like a plan.”
As they entered Elizabeth’s quarters, Vincent was so pleased, Elizabeth had the Keats Portrait completed! It was mounted, and already in the frame, Vincent had acquired from the restoration chamber.
Enthusiastically, he boasted, “Truly magnificent Elizabeth! This will mean so much to Catherine. How may I thank you?”
Elizabeth took Vincent’s hand in hers, and simply said, “This was my way of thanking Catherine. I will never forget how she saved my world for me, for us.”
Vincent bent his head humbly, and said, “Yes she believed so strongly in the cause, and fought so hard for our world. I will relay to her how you feel. I will tell her this is a gift from you in appreciation.”
Vincent had the perfect spot for the portrait. He placed it along side the Country road painting he loved, and he thought of how Catherine could admire it, from her formal sitting room alcove he had prepared for her.
Visit the sitting room Chamber
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the elevator opened, Catherine could see her apartment door...was left wide open! Tepidly, she entered, and realized she was walking in on a robbery, or something in progress!
As it turned out...two of Wilkin’s men were holding Jennifer at gunpoint, as they were looking for the Benson Deposition.
What happened was, Wilkins the drug lord, had Catherine's phone bugged, and they heard Jennifer's conversation with Joe. Through this bugged phone call, they found out Joe's FAX machine was being repaired, and he never got the FAXED Depo!
They also heard Jennifer tell Joe, if he came over to Catherine's apartment, she could give it to him, and since Joe was anxious to get the depo, he told her he would be right over, to pick it up.
So as Jennifer opened the door, for who she thought was Joe, she actually let in a couple of Wilkin's thugs! Pushing Jennifer inside, they started interrogating her, wanting to know where the Deposition was. As Catherine overheard the questioning, she quietly, stepped back out, into the hallway, and drew her gun from her purse. Her heart raced and pounded loudly, as she feared for Jennifer's safety!
Consciously she tried to suppress her feelings, not wanting Vincent to come into the middle of any gunfire, but subconsciously, through their bond, Vincent sensed something was wrong!
As Vincent and Ronald parted company after their drumstick raid on William’s kitchen, he was on his way to his chamber, when he felt a pull…he could feel fear coming from Catherine!
Vincent turned in his tracks, and as he called out her name, he ran through the tunnels to her.
Jennifer, the ever-vigilant conservative dramatic pessimist, was full of intrigue and excitement at the thought, she was harboring an important DEPO!
Luckily, she had hidden it, just after she talked to Joe, pretending as if she were in a Bond movie or something. At any rate, the thugs wanted it, and Jennifer wasn’t telling. She felt she was safe, as long as she had something they wanted!
Just as Catherine stepped back inside the apartment, she pointed her gun at Wilkin’s thugs, and yelled, “Freeze!”
The two were caught off guard, but what Catherine didn’t know was there was a third guy, who was snooping around in the kitchen, and came up behind her!
Just as he grabbed Catherine, Vincent burst through the balcony doors, and struck the two thugs, that were holding Jennifer at gunpoint, and flew over to rescue his Catherine.
Jennifer stood there stunned, as Vincent took out the three guys, and knocked them out cold with the back of his hand! As he took Catherine in his arms, he anxiously asked, “Catherine are you all right?”
Catherine heaved a sigh of relief, as she said, “Yes Vincent, I am fine, thank God you came!”
Vincent then looked at Jennifer, and asked, “And you Jennifer?”
Jennifer beamed, as she ran up and hugged Vincent, “I am fine too! Oh what excitement!”
Catherine then instructed her dramatic friend, “Jen, call the police to pick up these thugs! In fact, call directly to the precinct, it’s quicker than 911. The # is 555-6898, and ask for Harvey he’s on the 3rd shift."
Catherine then looked up at Vincent, and said, "I'll find us something so we can tie these guys up!"
Jennifer, then excitedly informed Catherine and Vincent, "And we better hurry! Joe is on his way over for the depo! It's a darn good thing I hid it Cath, or these guys would have been long gone!"
Catherine hugged Jennifer, and said, "You did great Jen! Were you scared?"
Jennifer looked at them and said, "There was a moment there when I was, but then Vinny burst through those doors and saved our lives! It was great, just like in the movies!"
To be continued
Chapter Fourteen
| Dreams of Gold! By Sharon Holtz Chapter Thirteen |
