You know the drill. I don't own the story or characters from CW's BatB. All that's mine are the story lines that my muse whispers in my ear...

Chapter One - Out of the Jaws of Death

Come on Vincent, answer! Catherine's desperate, unspoken demand silently willed Vincent to pick up his phone and talk to her. She had to see him, to connect with him… to make amends for her behavior at the wedding reception. Vincent's voicemail kicked in, and she punched the disconnect button in frustration, then immediately redialed. He couldn't ignore her calls all night… could he? Pain stabbed through her heart at the thought he might do just that. She glanced up at the rear-view mirror, only half noticing the reckless swerving of the car behind her. If she hadn't been so distracted she might have realized what was about to happen before it was too late…

Vincent stared at the display on his phone, his heart torn. More than anything he wanted to talk to Catherine, but after what happened earlier, he wasn't sure that was wise. He had already let his guard down with her once, foolishly thinking that they could have some sort of relationship. He should have known better. He was a cursed man-beast who didn't deserve to be loved, especially by someone like Catherine. He could still feel her words twisting in his gut as she told him he was becoming more "animal". And when he said he needed to leave, he had secretly wanted for her to beg him to stay, to weather the storm in her arms, but her response was to basically tell him that loving him was too big a risk. He supposed he couldn't blame her, but it still hurt like hell.

If he was in his right mind, he would admit to himself that the very things about her that made him want her were the very things that he would eventually destroy – her goodness, her honesty – things that already were suffering as she lied over and over to the people she loved and respected on a daily basis, just to keep him safe. Not to mention protecting him from murder charges…

His heart sank as he watched the call roll over to voicemail and disappear for the second time. No matter how much he knew in his head that he needed to let her go, to let her have a real life, his heart insisted on clinging to the irrational hope that maybe… somehow… someday… things would work out between them, if only he had faith.

As his phone began ringing for the third time in as many minutes, he couldn't help himself and he pushed the talk button to answer it. But what he heard was the last thing he expected. He stood frozen as the sound of shattering glass and crunching metal assaulted his ears – just before he heard Catherine scream and a lot of crashing that sounded like a car rolling right before the line went dead. "Cat-?" he choked out, but there was no response except silence. "Catherine!" he screamed into the night, then turned and ran. He retraced the path back toward the reception, knowing it was the same route that Catherine would travel to return to the city. He ran faster than he ever had in his life, needing to find her, to make sure that she was alright. She had to be alright. His life wouldn't be worth living if anything ever happened to her. He had almost reached the highway when he heard the shots…

Please God, Catherine pleaded, as white-hot pain seared through her shoulder. Please don't let me die here, now, like this. Not before I get a chance to tell Vincent- Her thoughts began fading into darkness as her brain purposed to shut down her consciousness in an attempt to dampen the pain. As if from a great distance she heard someone calling her name… Vincent…. She tried to answer; tried to call out to him, but nothing worked. It was like she was trapped inside her body, screaming at the top of her lungs to a world that couldn't hear her. There was a sound of wrenching metal that might have been right next to her, or a mile away. In her half-conscious haze she couldn't be sure. But the one thing she was sure of was that with utmost care, her beast was lifting her out of the twisted metal prison and cradling her close to his heart, nuzzling her with his cheek so tenderly that it would be hard for anyone who witnessed it to ever think him to be a crude, unfeeling creature. Her last fleeting thought was how she wished she could touch his cheek and tell him how much she loved him. Then, knowing that she was safe in Vincent's arms, Catherine finally let go and slipped into a dark cocoon of oblivion.

"Is that my car?!" Evan noted the edge of terror in Heather's question. He couldn't blame her. He was feeling pretty terrified at the moment himself. The wreck he was looking at in front of him didn't bode well for the driver. And that was indeed her car… "Cat!" Heather's cry hit his ears at the same moment he saw an imposing figure walk into the path of the headlights, carrying the limp form of a woman. There was no doubt as to who she was. But who was the man? The way he held her – rocked her - seemed almost as if he was someone who… cherished her. But something else about him made the hair rise on the back of Evan's neck. Somewhere in his subconscious, pieces were starting to fall into place, even if fear was keeping his mind from processing the evidence it was logging. But instinct was strong, and as he jumped from the car he commanded Heather to stay put. There was just something about the silhouette of this stranger… the way he moved… Evan proceeded with caution, not quite sure what to expect.

Nearing the scene, he could hear ragged breathing. Deep, hoarse breaths that sounded almost… not human. Could it be…? The situation was getting more complicated by the moment. He had no idea what kind of reasoning capabilities a cross-species being possessed – oh yes, he knew in his gut that's who he was dealing with – so he moved slowly, never taking his eyes from the beast. As he drew closer he called out calmly, "It's alright, I'm here to help." His biggest fear was not that the creature would harm Catherine – not with the almost reverent way it cradled her so protectively. But he had to make sure it didn't bolt and take Catherine away from the help she obviously needed.

Evan only advanced a couple more steps before the beast lifted his face from where it had been nestled against Catherine's, and looked squarely into Evan's face. It was a sight Evan would remember for the rest of his life, as he stared at this deformed creature – half man, half… something else – who had tears streaming down his cheeks and looked as if its whole world was about to end. "Please…. Help…. Her…." Although the gravelly voice could only be classified as inhuman, there was no denying the tenderness and sense of helplessness encompassed in the desperate request. Apparently the human DNA still allowed it a degree of rational thought, to understand the gravity of the situation and acknowledge that he was in no position or shape to be the one to help her. It had reasoned out that her best hope was to get someone else to care for her, even if it meant exposing himself to a stranger.

The creature's head jerked up and it became agitated, eyes getting wild with fear as it began to move restlessly. What had spooked it, Evan wondered? "Please… help…" the beast stammered again, starting to pace in little circles, holding Catherine closer to him. Evan knew that if he didn't calm it down, it was going to be a flight risk, in spite wanting help for Catherine. But before he could act or even think about doing anything, the creature walked right up to him and demanded, "Take!" It emphasized what it meant by holding Catherine's body out for him to take. It was then that Evan heard the first screams of the approaching emergency vehicles and understood what had upset the beast. It didn't want to be seen. It had already revealed itself to one person and couldn't take any more chances.

As the monster-man gently laid Catherine in his arms, Evan was suddenly confronted with the dilemma about what he was going to do concerning this creature that had risked exposing itself against its own sense of self-preservation to save his friend and co-worker. He instinctively knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that this was the secret Cat had been keeping from them all for the last few months. He and Tess had engaged in more than one conversation about how distant their friend had become and how she seemed to be withdrawing into herself, often disappearing with the lamest excuses. Now he knew why. After all, this wasn't the kind of secret you shared with even your best girlfriend. But he also knew Cat, and if she felt that this man-beast was worth protecting, he wasn't going to go against her wishes, at least until he had a chance to talk to her.

He looked down at her lying so limp and still in his arms. If he got a chance to talk to her. He hoped with all his heart that he would. When he looked up again, the beast was gone. But his gut told him the creature hadn't gone far.