Three years later…
The sun was pouring through the window, warming her skin and waking her to a new day. Five more minutes, Catherine thought as she resisted the natural morning wake-up call. Her dreams once again were filled with being in his strong arms, surrounded by his love. Catherine's bliss soon came to an end as a small force dive-bombed her out of her dreams.
"Wake up Mommy," cried the ever-energetic three-year-old. Her daughter continued to bounce on top of her mother until Catherine surrendered to the toddler's wishes.
"Ok, ok. I'm awake. Are you happy now little Rosebud?" Catherine smiled as she opened her eyes to find two crystal blue eyes gazing down at her.
The girl smiled and nodded her head as Catherine rose onto her elbows and stared at her daughter. Rosemary Caroline Wells, also known as "Rosie" or "Rosebud." Hard to think that almost three-in-a-half-years ago this little miracle came into the world completely by surprise. Catherine could still remember the kindness of that woman, Maize McCracken, who aided in their escape. Maize had helped Catherine, not only in the joys of motherhood, but also helped her go into hiding when Catherine confided in her that she had to disappear for the safety of her baby.
It turned out Maize was a retired FBI agent assigned for undercover cases. Together they managed an escape plan within three-week's time. Maize had even called in a favor with a trusted coworker to slip Catherine's name deep in the Witness Protection Program. Then Maize told Catherine she had a half-sister, Katie Lockhart, in Connecticut who owned a diner. Katie had also worked for the CIA, but did more "field work" than her sister. Maize explained the situation to her sister and got Catherine a job as a waitress.
The next part was finding Catherine and Rosie a place to stay. Catherine remembered her family cabin that she had tried to take Vincent to once. She figured she could stay there since no one used it. If not, Katie mentioned she could loan Catherine an apartment.
Next step was to create a new identity for Catherine. When Maize set up a fake ID for her, Catherine had decided on the name Margaret Anna Wells. Then Maize helped Catherine into a disguise: brown colored contacts, make-up to cover her scar, and a blonde, pixie-cut wig. Her cover would be a dinner waitress and single mom. The story for Rosie's father was that he worked most of the time in the city. One day she came home and he was gone. No note, nothing until later when he told her he was going across the seas for his company, and told her to move out here.
Three weeks later, Maize drove Catherine to her sister's after her shift at the homeless shelter ended. Since then Catherine and her daughter had been living in her family's cabin and working at Kitty's Diner.
Bringing herself back to the present, Catherine decided it was time to attend to her daughter's breakfast. Catherine's stomach growled in reminder of its own needs. Soon Catherine was in the kitchen and her daughter sat happily at the table, eating her apple cinnamon oatmeal. Joining Rosie with her own breakfast concoction, Catherine sighed and dug in. Since working at Kitty's Diner Catherine had mastered the art of cooking that could rival the Tunnel cook, William. Her desserts were her specialty. Everyday customers asked for one or two of "Margie's" special sweets.
"What we do Mommy?" Rosie asked through a mouthful of oatmeal.
Catherine smiled and said, "What we do every Monday. Mommy goes to work and then you and I will stock up on groceries."
"I draw pictures?"
"Yes," Catherine said, "Auntie Katie says she loves your pictures. They brighten up the diner. Now, it's time to clean up because we'll be late if we don't."
Rosie smiled and started helping her mother in cleaning up the table.
XXX
"Ok, so that's two French toasts, one Sunny Meal, two black coffees, and one glass of OJ," Catherine repeated the order back to her customers.
"Yes," replied the customer, "that will be all." The man turned back to his family as they continued their conversation. Catherine sighed as she watched the happy family. Someday, she hoped. She recited the order to Katie and in twenty minutes brought the order to the hungry customers. She was just about to take her next order when:
"Oh Margie-girl!"
Oh no, not again. Catherine turned and found Johnny Richard entering the diner.
Johnny was a handsome man: dark hair and blue eyes, and built like a heavyweight champion. He was in his late thirties although he acted more like some hormonal teenager. He'd moved into town last year and, to Catherine's misfortune, had become her unwanted suitor. For some reason, Johnny couldn't take no for an answer. Even the thought of her having a long distance relationship and a child didn't send him away. He carried the idea that he could get anything he wanted, and "no" meant "maybe later."
"Hi Johnny," Catherine managed a weak smile, "what can I get for ya?" As if she had to ask.
"Come on hot momma, you know I only come here for two things: Kitty's triple stuffed breakfast burrito and your sweet smile." As charming as he thought he was, Catherine felt trapped with no means for escape.
"So pretty thing," he continued as he strode up beside her, "how bout when you clock out ya accompany me on a date."
"Johnny," Catherine groaned, "you know I have to look after Rose. Besides, how many times to I have to tell you I'm not interested." Little did he know his 5' 9'' male model routine couldn't even begin to stack up to her 6' 5'' golden Adonis miles below the city of New York. Still the man showed no signs of backing down, and his hand was moving dangerously south of her shoulder blade.
"Now Margie, you outta know by now that Johnny don't back down from a challenge. Besides, my buddy said his sister could watch the little tike for us." He made an attempt to slide his arm around her hip, only to receive a smack to his arm. "Oh, someone a little extra spicy today? Well you know I like 'em…"
"Johnny-boy!" cried an elderly woman.
"Crap!" Immediately Johnny dropped his hands and tried to find the closest exit.
If there was one person who could scare the pants of Johnny, it was Catherine's boss, Katie "Kitty" Lockhart. She was a hot-tempered woman in her fifties, but the 5' 3'' woman was feared if you were on her hit list. Right on cue, Katie stepped out the the kitchen to catch Johnny attempting to use Catherine as a shield. In some ways, Katie reminded Catherine of her half sister, with her graying red hair, but Katie's eyes were a lighter shade of green and she didn't have an accent.
"What have I told ya, boy?"Katie hollered. "Unless you come in here for somethin to eat, you better not harass my girls! And I believe I specifically told ya'll to leave Margie alone." Katie gave Johnny one of her warning stares, which sent him running out the door. When he was gone, Catherine turned back to the woman who had become like family to her.
"Thanks Katie, I think he was shooting for the extra mile today."
"No problem honey," Katie said with a wink and retreated back to her kitchen. Catherine had to suppress a small chuckle.
Catherine continued her shift for the day, with occasional breaks to look at her daughter's artwork. At quitting time Rosie handed Katie her latest masterpiece while Catherine changed clothes. Cleaning up her scattered papers, Katie noticed one on the floor. She picked it up and marveled over the picture: a child's drawing of a princess holding hands a prince who had a cat face.
"Rosie," Katie exclaimed, "this is gorgeous, baby. Cathy I swear your daughter gets better everyday. Just where does she get these characters from?"
"Thank cue Auntie Kitty," answered the happy toddler.
Katie smiled and glanced at Catherine when she emerged from changing. Then Catherine and Rosie gathered up the toddler's pictures and headed out the door.
"See ya tomorrow," Catherine called.
"Have a good night," Katie called back and sighed as mother and daughter walked off. When she had first hired Catherine, Katie had been concerned about what her crazy sister had gotten them into. Taking in someone who had almost been murdered and was still being hunted down, wasn't exactly what Katie expected. Her first impression of Catherine was that she was flighty, but after getting to know her and her story, Katie's heart went out to the poor girl.
I sure hope one day you can go home to that guy of yours, Cattie. I hate seeing you look sadder each year.
XXX
Why does this seem familiar? Vincent thought as he continued to walk down the tunnel. A light appeared at the end of the tunnel and Vincent felt himself being drawn to it. When he emerged on the other side, Vincent marveled at what lay before him. He stood in a wide field of wild flowers of every shade and color. The sky was a bright blue and not a cloud in sight. What is this place?
Suddenly the sound of children's laughter filled his ears. Two small lights appeared and seem to beckon him somewhere. He began to follow the strange lights until he came to a gated entry. Opening the gate, Vincent found himself standing in a rose garden. Roses of all sizes and colors lay in every direction.
Suddenly, the laughter subsided and Vincent heard music. It was Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, a song he had heard play in the drainage tunnel under the concert hall many times. Following the music he came to the middle of the rose garden. What he saw made his heart skip a beat. Dancing in tune to the music, with rose petals falling all around her, was his very heart. Catherine.
She was dressed in a silvery-white, almost fairy-like gown. The dress was an A-line line gown that reached to her ankles with a scope neckline, and straight hanging sleeves that opened at her elbows. The silk flowed like water to her graceful movements as she danced. Her light brown hair stretched just past her shoulders and reflected the sun that shone down on her. Upon her head she wore a crown of white rosebuds. She looked like an angel.
Vincent was so stunned he didn't know what to do: to rush and take her in his arms, or remain watching her dance. He remained where he stood, to captivated by Catherine's movements to move from his spot. Catherine continued to dance until the lights that led Vincent to her began to fly around her.
"Hello my little ones," she said "and just where have you been?"
The little lights only answered her in more laughter, before landing on two roses: one red, one white. Catherine paused her dancing and walked over to the glowing flowers. The buds began to open and two small spirits emerged from the petals. They were glowing to bright for Vincent to see their faces, but it appeared that they were a boy and a girl. Both wore clothes made of white, red-tipped petals. They began to play with Catherine, causing her to laugh in her attempt to catch them. Vincent longed to be amidst her joy and unconsciously took a step forward.
A branch snapped under his foot, causing Catherine to stop and look his direction. Their eyes locked and he saw as her face change from one of joy to shame and pain. Tears formed in her eyes and Vincent tried to reach out and comfort her, but a barrier prevented him from getting any closer.
Suddenly the landscape darkened and the garden became gray and lifeless. Catherine's eyes were filled with pain: a combination of longing and sadness. Vincent tried to call out to her but his voice was lost to him. All he could do was watch as Catherine and the strange world became like a large looking glass.
"Forgive me" was all she managed to say before the world before him shattered, taking his beloved Catherine with it.
"CATHERINE!"
Vincent snapped opened his eyes. He saw around him his familiar chamber. It had only been a dream. He placed his head in his hands as he recalled the images he'd just seen. It had been so real, and yet he knew it could not be so. Catherine was dead.
Why? Why does she ask for forgiveness when I was the one who failed her? Tears formed in his eyes as he remembered that morning, a week after he failed to rescue her.
Father had been reading the morning paper. One of the articles in the obituary had Catherine's name and picture next to it. It said some passing fishermen had found her body in the Hudson River. At first no one could tell who the woman was because the body had been beaten and water logged beyond recognition. Distract Attorney John Moreno had been at the autopsy where the identification was made through her dental records and blood work.
Father and many of the Helpers and Tunnel community attended the funnel. It was a closed casket funeral due to the shape the body was in. Besides, there were too many painful memories surrounding this extraordinary woman. A crushing pain at Catherine's loss had overwhelmed Vincent and almost destroyed him.
At first, the pain over her loss had been too much for him. He could barley eat or sleep. He still could not understand what had drawn him to that building that night. He had been out searching for Catherine when a strange sound filled his ears: a heartbeat. At first Vincent had believed that the heartbeat must be Catherine's, as if somehow their Bond had returned one last time. As he drew closer to the sound the heartbeat grew louder and louder.
Finally he arrived at a large building. Inside he faced several guards, only to end up in the abandoned surveillance room. There the beating had stopped. Then the sound of a helicopter drew his attention. Without looking at the monitors, Vincent ascended the stairs, and made his way onto the roof. There, retreating in the helicopter, he saw the man he would come to know as Gabriel. The very man responsible for his beloved's death.
In a month's time, Vincent had managed to discover Gabriel's name with the help of Elliot Burch. Unfortunately there alliance ended in Burch's death. Then Vincent met Diana Bennett, a policewoman working on Catherine's case. She discovered the Tunnels after going through Catherine's things in an attempt to discover the mystery behind her disappearance. Diana had also been at Catherine's autopsy and discovered that Catherine had been pregnant. The news had been left out of the media since no one knew what happened to the baby or who the father was, due to Catherine's private social life.
The news had shocked Vincent and he was certain that Gabriel had raped Catherine to gain a child. Dianna insisted on helping Vincent, but she had been kidnapped and taken to Gabriel personally after Gabriel's assassin, Snow, failed to kill Vincent. Gabriel had Dianna take Vincent a message to surrender himself to Gabriel or Catherine's child would die. Vincent agreed and had given himself up to his enemy without a fight.
"Daddy?" The small voice brought Vincent back to the present. A young golden-haired boy stood by his bedside looking up at Vincent with concern in his blue eyes. Smiling down at him, Vincent recalled the first time he meet this child:
Vincent woke up in a cage, only to be greeted by Gabriel. Vincent could see to cruelty and inhumanity in his eyes. Then Vincent noticed that a group of armed guards, a doctor, and a nurse were also in the room. Gabriel instructed the nurse to enter the cage and place the small bundle she was carrying. Vincent then realized she had just handed him Catherine's baby. When they were all gone Vincent attentively picked up the child and was overwhelmed with the baby's beauty. Everything about the boy was the very essence of Catherine except for the blue eyes.
Later on, when Gabriel returned to reclaim the child, Vincent hated himself as he returned the child back to the nurse. His anger grew as Gabriel started to tell him the baby's name was Julian, and how he would be a great conqueror someday. He then mocked Vincent with how Catherine had been a perfect vessel for his son, and it was a pity she couldn't raise him. Soon after his escape Vincent took the child with him to the safety of the Tunnels.
After his return, Vincent had insisted on raising the child personally. He didn't know why but he felt a connection with the child, most likely due to it being Catherine's child. Father accepted this and everyone agreed since the boy was the last connection Vincent had to Catherine. The boy was welcomed into the Tunnel Community and at his naming ceremony Vincent named the boy Jacob Charles Chandler. He knew he probably should have named Catherine's son after her father, but from the moment he held the boy, the name 'Jacob' just seemed right.
"Daddy?" Jacob asked from the side of the bed. "You have bad dream?"
"Yes," he replied. Jacob crawled into the bed and gave Vincent a hug. Vincent welcomed the tiny embrace and sighed, grateful for the comfort this small child offered him.
"I dream I play wif Rosie and we have fun," Jacob proudly told him.
"Did you now?" Vincent was always fond of hearing Jacob's dreams about an imaginary friend named Rosie. Jacob had started dreaming about her a year ago. Father was concerned since there were plenty of children for Jacob to play with. Mary told him to stop his grousing and let the child be. Vincent chuckled as he recalled Father's expression to Mary's remark.
"All betta?" Jacob awaited his answer. Vincent smiled as he looked down at the boy.
"All better." His internal clock told him that it was the middle of the night so Vincent started to take Jacob back to his bed. Instead of sleeping in the Nursery, Vincent had extended his chamber to accommodate a small bedroom located behind the stain glass window.
"Can I stay with you, Daddy?" Jacob pleaded with big puppy-dog eyes and a pouted lip.
Vincent sighed and complied with the child's wishes. He couldn't bear to refuse him anything, much like Catherine. As he and the child snuggled down for the rest of the night, Vincent's mind wandered back to the dream. He sighed and allowed his thoughts to drift to Catherine. His last thoughts were the dream Catherine's last words: Forgive me.