| Sweet Dreams! By Sharon Holtz Chapter Fourteen |
Thoughtfully he remained, before he rose from the bed and with a pensive look,
he looked down at Catherine, and then walked over to open a wardrobe, where
he kept his painting supplies, and finished works of art.
He firstly brought out his favorite, and as he nervously looked toward
Catherine, he turned the painting toward her to see.
The pleasing look in her eyes, told him that she was impressed by his work.
With a captivated gasp, she said, "You are really talented. I love this painting, it
is really beautiful. I had no idea you had this hidden talent...please show me
more..."
He then showed her the rest of his collection, and she speechlessly looked at
each one, saying she felt these should be included on her gallery wall. Shyly
Vincent said he would consider this, and thanked her for her praise.
Closing the cabinet doors, with his paintings enclosed safely inside, he then
proudly hugged her, as he reluctantly said the time had come for him to walk
her home.
Meanwhile, the next few days were very hectic down in the tunnels, as
everyone was helping to get ready for the Engagement party.
Lisa had secretly visited to help Rolley with the children's short program they
would be putting on. And she also directed Samantha and Kipper in their scene
from Romeo and Juliet, with a script and props she had prepared for them.
Rebecca busily poured a special batch of candles to decorate the great Hall, in a
lovely shade of crimson.
Mary meticulously prepared the many ribbons and bows she wanted to place
about the Great Hall, and she kept all the young girl's hopping, with all of their
assignments, she had issued to each of them.
William, was quite busily contacting different merchants for his banquet meal
needs.
And meanwhile all the others of the community did what needed to be done to
ready their home tunnels for a party matching the caliber of a festivus.
Finally, Friday arrived, and Catherine had just concluded her rousing reading
class with the children. As Vincent walked toward the Library, he passed the
last child exiting, who was gleefully shouting a goodbye to Catherine.
As he stood watching her for a moment, waiting for her to acknowledge him,
she suddenly felt his presence, and looked up at the man she adored.
Excitedly, she walked up to him, and said, "What a surprise! I didn't think I
would be seeing you this morning."
Gently Vincent said, "I came to remind you Pascal is ready to issue you the
codes training on the Pipe System."
As Catherine turned to gather up the children's assignments, she said, "I did
remember. In fact I was just leaving."
Sweetly, she asked, "Will you walk with me?"
Attentively, Vincent replied, "Of course."
As they walked through the tunnels together, they passed by Brooke, Jamie, and
Laura who were pushing the wooden wheeled carts, which were heavy laden
with decorations for the Great Hall.
Excitedly Brooke reminded Catherine and Vincent, "No peeking! We don't want
you to the see the Hall until we are completely finished decorating!"
The other two girls giggled, as they too, chimed in their 2 cents worth, warning
them not to spy!
Catherine and Vincent swore to the trio of "Enthusiastic Entertainment
Engineers", they would not peek, and spoil the surprise.
They then parted ways, and as they continued their walk toward the Pipe
chamber, Vincent relayed to Catherine, "As I passed the kitchen, I detected
some delicious aroma's emanating from there...I assume everything is going
well, as I could hear William singing the tune, Edelweiss."
Catherine smiled, and said, "William singing? Well, I agree, sounds like
everything must be going well."
Vincent, with a voice full of emotion said, "Everyone seems so full of joy
organizing our Engagement Party, can you imagine the excitement planning our
Wedding will bring?"
Catherine raised her brow and offered, "Or angst when you announce we have
moved the date forward."
Vincent brought his hand to his heart, and feigned a worried demeanor, as he
asked, "When I? Catherine, is it not customary for the Bride-to-be to announce
the wedding date?"
Shaking her head no, she suspiciously said, "I don't think so Vincent..."
Then as an idea struck her, she playfully suggested, "...I wonder if maybe we
can ask Father to work our new Wedding date into the toast he is busily writing
for tonight's celebration."
As they arrived at the Pipe Chamber, Vincent with a smile in his eyes, brushed
Catherine's hair from her eyes, and said, "Excellent idea. I will pay Father a visit
straight away. Enjoy your lesson, and I will see you later."
Catherine bit her lip, and nervously said, "Well here goes nothing."
As Catherine walked in, Pascal had his ear to a pipe, listening to a message. He
then concisely held up a finger to momentarily silence Catherine, when she
spoke to greet him.
He then efficiently said hello, and apologetically explained he was listening to a
message which was generated from the Great Hall.
As it turned out, it was nothing to be concerned about, but he continued to
explain, "With our security being heightened, I want to listen to each and every
message, to make sure no one is in danger. Anyway, you are here for your
lesson! Ready?"
Catherine smiled, and said, "Oh yes Pascal, I don't ever want to make another
serious error again sending a message."
Pascal began with the preliminaries, the alphabet, and then the most commonly
used words, and then went over the maps, instructing Catherine which pipe
originates from the inner tunnels, and which are from the world above.
Catherine discovered there was much to learn, and she was an eager student. At
the sounding of the luncheon announcement, Pascal turned to Catherine, and
told her they would continue the lesson on Saturday. And also said, he felt she
did very well grasping the essence of the tunnel's communication system.
Catherine thanked Pascal, and asked if he wasn't going to the dining hall too?
To which Pascal answered, that no, Mouse was going to bring him a tray,
because he did not want to leave the pipes unattended.
Catherine smiled and said, she had never witnessed such dedication to a job
before.
Pascal humbly said, "It is more than a job Catherine..."
Catherine acknowledged her poor use of words, and then said, "Of course, I
know it is. Well, I will see you later, and thanks again Pascal."
Meanwhile, after inserting the crimson candles into their floral rings, and
strategically placing the floral arrangements on each table, the girls stepped back,
and said Mary had done a great job putting everything together.
Mary had insisted on single-handedly making all the floral accents for the
Engagement Party herself. Thanks to Rosa for sending down the baskets of
fresh Red carnations, the few dozen Red Roses, and some baby's breath for
accent, Mary had plenty to work with.
Just then Rebecca arrived with the ribbons and bows of red, that would adorn
the tables, along with the sconces.
As the beauty of the Hall took her breath away, Rebecca said, "It is just as I
imagined! Mary, you and the girls did a great job."
To which Mary replied, "Thank you Rebecca! Oh golly we should go, William
is now serving the meal..."
She then took one last look, and said, "Yes, we can finish the rest after lunch. It
shouldn't take long..."
Brooke then said, "I hope not, I need some time to get ready! I heard Michael
will be coming!"
The girls began to tease Brooke, by saying she has a crush on Michael, and
needs time to fix up so she can look Beeeaaauuutiful for him!
Admitting to her crush, Brooke then said, "Well I want to look as good as I can
anyway. It is hard to compete with the top-sider girls."
Mary brushed her hair back, and said, "You are as pretty as any top-sider
Brooke. Always remember it is the spirit which shines through, and though a
little powder on the nose may be beauty tip 101, there is no need for you to
worry about doing anything more."
Then a thought passed through Mary's ever efficient, calculating mind, and she
suggested, "You know you could always ask Catherine...she may put your mind
at ease with a few top-sider tips."
Feeling bolstered by Mary's Motherly pep talk, and suggestion, Brooke smiled
and said, "Thanks Mary. I think I will!"
The Dining Hall was churning with conversation and excitement about tonights
festivities, and Catherine and Vincent were the center of attention as the
children all gathered around them, asking questions about their getting married.
And so Kipper noted, "So you won't be Catherine Chandler anymore uh? You
will be Catherine Wells!"
Catherine smiled as she replied, "You are right Kipper! I will have to get used to
having a brand new last name!"
To which Eric asked, "I wonder if you will goof up and still write Chandler
sometimes."
"I might!" Admitted Catherine.
And then Samantha asked, "So who will live in your chamber Catherine?"
"What do you mean Samantha?" asked Catherine.
Quizzically, she noted, "Well I was thinking you would move in with Vincent. It
wouldn't be fair to expect him to move out of his chamber, would it?"
Samantha's question was a legitimate one! Something Catherine and Vincent
had not fully discussed yet. They haven't had much chance! But Vincent had
once mentioned, her chamber had more living alcoves than his, and so she
assumed they would be living there.
And so to answer Samantha's question, Catherine looked over to Vincent and
asked, "Do you want to answer this one?"
Thinking they should discuss this privately, he simply said, "We know you are
excited about all the plans and changes, and we will let you know as soon as
those things are decided upon."
Vincent then stood, and as he urged the children to go about their chores, he
looked to Catherine as they walked, and said, "The children are so smart, and
have made me realize, we haven't fully, and conclusively discussed where you
wish to live after we marry."
In agreement, Catherine said, "Where ever you think is best Vincent. I know we
spoke about expanding into the alcoves in my chamber, but maybe Samantha is
right about being fair. I don't want to uproot you from your chamber."
Thoughtfully, Vincent replied, "I think it is important for us to begin our married
lives together in a chamber we would consider ours. With the changes we could
bring to your chamber, it would feel like ours."
Having so much to think about as it was, Catherine simply said, "We have
plenty of time to decide and we can..."
With a loving embrace, Vincent laid his head upon hers, as he inserted, "Not so
much Catherine, not since we have moved the date up."
To which Catherine sighed and smiled up at him as she said, "Can you tell? I
don't really care where, as long as we are together."
Meanwhile, Mary and the girls returned to the Great Hall, and applied all the
finishing touches, until ultimately they felt it looked perfect!
As Mary marvelled at the end result, she thoughtfully whispered, "Not too
much, or too little, but rather, we have achieved a perfectly romantic, yet
simplistic balance! Great job everyone!"
Mary then rallied the girls to all meet in the Hot Springs chamber, to ready
themselves for the celebration.
To be continued
Chapter Fifteen
he looked down at Catherine, and then walked over to open a wardrobe, where
he kept his painting supplies, and finished works of art.
He firstly brought out his favorite, and as he nervously looked toward
Catherine, he turned the painting toward her to see.
The pleasing look in her eyes, told him that she was impressed by his work.
With a captivated gasp, she said, "You are really talented. I love this painting, it
is really beautiful. I had no idea you had this hidden talent...please show me
more..."
He then showed her the rest of his collection, and she speechlessly looked at
each one, saying she felt these should be included on her gallery wall. Shyly
Vincent said he would consider this, and thanked her for her praise.
Closing the cabinet doors, with his paintings enclosed safely inside, he then
proudly hugged her, as he reluctantly said the time had come for him to walk
her home.
Meanwhile, the next few days were very hectic down in the tunnels, as
everyone was helping to get ready for the Engagement party.
Lisa had secretly visited to help Rolley with the children's short program they
would be putting on. And she also directed Samantha and Kipper in their scene
from Romeo and Juliet, with a script and props she had prepared for them.
Rebecca busily poured a special batch of candles to decorate the great Hall, in a
lovely shade of crimson.
Mary meticulously prepared the many ribbons and bows she wanted to place
about the Great Hall, and she kept all the young girl's hopping, with all of their
assignments, she had issued to each of them.
William, was quite busily contacting different merchants for his banquet meal
needs.
And meanwhile all the others of the community did what needed to be done to
ready their home tunnels for a party matching the caliber of a festivus.
Finally, Friday arrived, and Catherine had just concluded her rousing reading
class with the children. As Vincent walked toward the Library, he passed the
last child exiting, who was gleefully shouting a goodbye to Catherine.
As he stood watching her for a moment, waiting for her to acknowledge him,
she suddenly felt his presence, and looked up at the man she adored.
Excitedly, she walked up to him, and said, "What a surprise! I didn't think I
would be seeing you this morning."
Gently Vincent said, "I came to remind you Pascal is ready to issue you the
codes training on the Pipe System."
As Catherine turned to gather up the children's assignments, she said, "I did
remember. In fact I was just leaving."
Sweetly, she asked, "Will you walk with me?"
Attentively, Vincent replied, "Of course."
As they walked through the tunnels together, they passed by Brooke, Jamie, and
Laura who were pushing the wooden wheeled carts, which were heavy laden
with decorations for the Great Hall.
Excitedly Brooke reminded Catherine and Vincent, "No peeking! We don't want
you to the see the Hall until we are completely finished decorating!"
The other two girls giggled, as they too, chimed in their 2 cents worth, warning
them not to spy!
Catherine and Vincent swore to the trio of "Enthusiastic Entertainment
Engineers", they would not peek, and spoil the surprise.
They then parted ways, and as they continued their walk toward the Pipe
chamber, Vincent relayed to Catherine, "As I passed the kitchen, I detected
some delicious aroma's emanating from there...I assume everything is going
well, as I could hear William singing the tune, Edelweiss."
Catherine smiled, and said, "William singing? Well, I agree, sounds like
everything must be going well."
Vincent, with a voice full of emotion said, "Everyone seems so full of joy
organizing our Engagement Party, can you imagine the excitement planning our
Wedding will bring?"
Catherine raised her brow and offered, "Or angst when you announce we have
moved the date forward."
Vincent brought his hand to his heart, and feigned a worried demeanor, as he
asked, "When I? Catherine, is it not customary for the Bride-to-be to announce
the wedding date?"
Shaking her head no, she suspiciously said, "I don't think so Vincent..."
Then as an idea struck her, she playfully suggested, "...I wonder if maybe we
can ask Father to work our new Wedding date into the toast he is busily writing
for tonight's celebration."
As they arrived at the Pipe Chamber, Vincent with a smile in his eyes, brushed
Catherine's hair from her eyes, and said, "Excellent idea. I will pay Father a visit
straight away. Enjoy your lesson, and I will see you later."
Catherine bit her lip, and nervously said, "Well here goes nothing."
As Catherine walked in, Pascal had his ear to a pipe, listening to a message. He
then concisely held up a finger to momentarily silence Catherine, when she
spoke to greet him.
He then efficiently said hello, and apologetically explained he was listening to a
message which was generated from the Great Hall.
As it turned out, it was nothing to be concerned about, but he continued to
explain, "With our security being heightened, I want to listen to each and every
message, to make sure no one is in danger. Anyway, you are here for your
lesson! Ready?"
Catherine smiled, and said, "Oh yes Pascal, I don't ever want to make another
serious error again sending a message."
Pascal began with the preliminaries, the alphabet, and then the most commonly
used words, and then went over the maps, instructing Catherine which pipe
originates from the inner tunnels, and which are from the world above.
Catherine discovered there was much to learn, and she was an eager student. At
the sounding of the luncheon announcement, Pascal turned to Catherine, and
told her they would continue the lesson on Saturday. And also said, he felt she
did very well grasping the essence of the tunnel's communication system.
Catherine thanked Pascal, and asked if he wasn't going to the dining hall too?
To which Pascal answered, that no, Mouse was going to bring him a tray,
because he did not want to leave the pipes unattended.
Catherine smiled and said, she had never witnessed such dedication to a job
before.
Pascal humbly said, "It is more than a job Catherine..."
Catherine acknowledged her poor use of words, and then said, "Of course, I
know it is. Well, I will see you later, and thanks again Pascal."
Meanwhile, after inserting the crimson candles into their floral rings, and
strategically placing the floral arrangements on each table, the girls stepped back,
and said Mary had done a great job putting everything together.
Mary had insisted on single-handedly making all the floral accents for the
Engagement Party herself. Thanks to Rosa for sending down the baskets of
fresh Red carnations, the few dozen Red Roses, and some baby's breath for
accent, Mary had plenty to work with.
Just then Rebecca arrived with the ribbons and bows of red, that would adorn
the tables, along with the sconces.
As the beauty of the Hall took her breath away, Rebecca said, "It is just as I
imagined! Mary, you and the girls did a great job."
To which Mary replied, "Thank you Rebecca! Oh golly we should go, William
is now serving the meal..."
She then took one last look, and said, "Yes, we can finish the rest after lunch. It
shouldn't take long..."
Brooke then said, "I hope not, I need some time to get ready! I heard Michael
will be coming!"
The girls began to tease Brooke, by saying she has a crush on Michael, and
needs time to fix up so she can look Beeeaaauuutiful for him!
Admitting to her crush, Brooke then said, "Well I want to look as good as I can
anyway. It is hard to compete with the top-sider girls."
Mary brushed her hair back, and said, "You are as pretty as any top-sider
Brooke. Always remember it is the spirit which shines through, and though a
little powder on the nose may be beauty tip 101, there is no need for you to
worry about doing anything more."
Then a thought passed through Mary's ever efficient, calculating mind, and she
suggested, "You know you could always ask Catherine...she may put your mind
at ease with a few top-sider tips."
Feeling bolstered by Mary's Motherly pep talk, and suggestion, Brooke smiled
and said, "Thanks Mary. I think I will!"
The Dining Hall was churning with conversation and excitement about tonights
festivities, and Catherine and Vincent were the center of attention as the
children all gathered around them, asking questions about their getting married.
And so Kipper noted, "So you won't be Catherine Chandler anymore uh? You
will be Catherine Wells!"
Catherine smiled as she replied, "You are right Kipper! I will have to get used to
having a brand new last name!"
To which Eric asked, "I wonder if you will goof up and still write Chandler
sometimes."
"I might!" Admitted Catherine.
And then Samantha asked, "So who will live in your chamber Catherine?"
"What do you mean Samantha?" asked Catherine.
Quizzically, she noted, "Well I was thinking you would move in with Vincent. It
wouldn't be fair to expect him to move out of his chamber, would it?"
Samantha's question was a legitimate one! Something Catherine and Vincent
had not fully discussed yet. They haven't had much chance! But Vincent had
once mentioned, her chamber had more living alcoves than his, and so she
assumed they would be living there.
And so to answer Samantha's question, Catherine looked over to Vincent and
asked, "Do you want to answer this one?"
Thinking they should discuss this privately, he simply said, "We know you are
excited about all the plans and changes, and we will let you know as soon as
those things are decided upon."
Vincent then stood, and as he urged the children to go about their chores, he
looked to Catherine as they walked, and said, "The children are so smart, and
have made me realize, we haven't fully, and conclusively discussed where you
wish to live after we marry."
In agreement, Catherine said, "Where ever you think is best Vincent. I know we
spoke about expanding into the alcoves in my chamber, but maybe Samantha is
right about being fair. I don't want to uproot you from your chamber."
Thoughtfully, Vincent replied, "I think it is important for us to begin our married
lives together in a chamber we would consider ours. With the changes we could
bring to your chamber, it would feel like ours."
Having so much to think about as it was, Catherine simply said, "We have
plenty of time to decide and we can..."
With a loving embrace, Vincent laid his head upon hers, as he inserted, "Not so
much Catherine, not since we have moved the date up."
To which Catherine sighed and smiled up at him as she said, "Can you tell? I
don't really care where, as long as we are together."
Meanwhile, Mary and the girls returned to the Great Hall, and applied all the
finishing touches, until ultimately they felt it looked perfect!
As Mary marvelled at the end result, she thoughtfully whispered, "Not too
much, or too little, but rather, we have achieved a perfectly romantic, yet
simplistic balance! Great job everyone!"
Mary then rallied the girls to all meet in the Hot Springs chamber, to ready
themselves for the celebration.
To be continued
Chapter Fifteen
