This story takes place between Shadows from Above and A Heart of Glass, after Scarlett and Mouse are engaged, but before they are married :) this story is dedicated to Skippy.
The tall lank figure loped quickly and quietly down the darkened alleyway, a grotesque thin shadow on the wall. Twisted as a live oak, the shadow crept along the brownstone wall, until it reached a large, square iron grating in the wall. A wandering passerby- if walking nearby - would hesitate, fearfully and silently watching the spectacle. They would have seen the slim shadow deftly remove the iron grating and slip beyond its dark confines, replacing the grating once it had gone inside. The passersby would shake their head in confusion. A shadow can't remove a grating, can it? They would suddenly hurry along their way, looking back every now and then; they would be expecting to see the reaching, clutching fingers of the Thin Man grasping for their throats, and his ghostly blank face gazing soullessly into theirs. Rumors began to swirl. Stories began to fly. Fear began to run wild Above in Central Park.
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The Great Hall doors had closed, and Winterfest was over. The soft candlelight had been extinguished and tunnel dwellers had made their way back to their tunnels and chambers. Life would resume its normal, everyday existence; the tapping of the pipes continued in succession - a quickly moving code that only Pascal could figure out. Pascal was a gentle, mild-mannered middle aged man who took it upon himself to keep the traffic of the pipes in order and running smoothly. He was softspoken and fiercely devoted to those Below that he worked for. On this particular day, he was getting settled in after Winterfest, and was working busily at the pipes.
"Pascal, don't you ever get tired?"
Sitting nearby on a heavy pipe, swinging her legs under her, a young woman watched him running to and fro, sometimes tapping on pipes and sometimes listening.
He paused for a second and glanced at her with his wide, kind eyes. "Not at all, my child. I enjoy what I do. It has been handed down in my family and it never gets old for me."
Scarlett laughed and leaned back on the pipe to read the book she held in her hands, Great Expectations. Her eyes, mismatched right blue eye and left brown eye, drifted away from the pages and to the ceiling. Above them, the yawing cavern of the pipe room was a subway of pipes, each one carrying tidings and well wishes,and requests, to the recipients, in fast order. It was mesmerizing. Pascal was moving like a well-oiled machine. She began to let her thoughts drift, wondering what each message was, and trying in vain to decipher some of them. They danced across the pipes, a melody only Pascal's ears could enjoy.
"Scarlett, Pascall!" Vincent entered the corridor, his lion-like features gentle and kind. "Have either of you seen Mouse?"
At the sudden voice speaking into her half dazed stupor, Scarlett sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Yes - Vincent - he has gone down into the lower tunnels to fix something for Narcissa."
Vincent nodded and smiled, shaking his head at the sleepy face. "When you see Mouse, tell him we have need of a repair on the north tunnel. The grating at the Brownstone entrance is loose."
Scarlett nodded. "Sure, Vincent. I will tell him. Where will you be?"
A playful smile crossed the lion-man's face face and he began to walk away. Scarlett ran after him, clutching her book to her chest, and catching his cloak in her free hand. "Wait, Vincent! Where will you be?"
Vincent put a strong arm around her shoulders and walked with her back toward the tunnel he had come from, which led to Father's study. "Promise you won't speak of it?"
Scarlett laughed and nodded quickly. "I promise, Vincent."
"I am going to see Catherine Above."
Scarlett blushed and smiled. "Well, I won't keep you then. I will go check in with Father."
Vicnent patted her shoulder. "I will see you later, then." He gave her a mischievous wink, then was gone.
Scarlett shook her head, a smile on her lips. She continued down the tunnel toward the great Study where Father could usually be found. She ran one hand across the hewn walls, mind drifting away to her first days Below.
A victim of a domestic violence crime, Scarlett had been discovered Above by Vincent. She had been brought Below to recover and had been accepted by the kind Tunnel dwellers. After a crazy time of adventures and dodging Paracelcus, Scarlett and Mouse had fallen in love and become an engaged couple. Their wedding was to be a first below, and for the one and only time other than Winterfest in it's entire history of existence, the Great Hall doors would be thrown open for celebration and excitement. It was still two months away, but the women below were in a whirl preparing decorations, garland, and pearly white candles.
Scarlett had been so distracted that she did not realize that she had stopped walking. Around her, the faint tapping of pipes still rang. She shook her head. This getting lost in her own mind was getting annoying. She knew it was because she was in love. That always messes with people's concentration. "Love me or hate me, both are in my favour. If you love me, I'll always be in your heart... If you hate me, I'll always be in your mind." Scarlett spoke to herself. William Shakeaspeare had quite the grasp of how love worked, she determined. Shaking herself to reality, she proceeded down the tunnel. To the right was the entrance to Father's well lit library. Just as she was about to step inside, her glance fell on the bend in the tunnel farther down the way. A tall, grotesque shadow was creeping down the tunnel away from her. It was twisted, and thin, and looked like a live oak tree walking down the tunnel. For a moment, she could not breathe. What on earth was it?
"Father?" Maybe he had left the library, and the shadows created by the candles made him look strange? She walked down a little way toward the shadow, but as if sensing her presence, it quckly rushed away into the darkness.
"What is it child?" Father's voice spoke suddenly from behind her.
She skrieked, and jumped, whirling to face him.
"Easy, now, little one. You look as though you have seen a ghost." Father held out a gentle hand, as if coaxing her to come back toward the light.
She gratefully accepted the pillar of strength that his firm hand offered to her shaking one and let him pull her into a hug. She glanced back down the tunnel. What on earth had she seen?
"Are you okay?" Father asked kindly, his dark eyes showing concern. His trained professional eye quickly looked her over to see if she was hurt.
"I'm okay, Father, really. I was coming to hang out with you for a while cause Mouse is helping Narcissa with something, and I got to here," At this point, Scarlett walked back to where she had stood at the entrance to the library. "I was standing here, about to come in," She pointed down the tunnel. "Then I saw - " Here she hesitated, confusion written on her face. "I saw - " her hand dropped to her side, and her eyes turned to Father's face, also confused. "I saw a tree walking. I mean, it looked like a tree. It was all twisted, and tall and thin. It was - very strange." Here her voice trailed off as she realized just how strange her explanation sounded when spoken outloud.
Father looked down where she had been pointing and strode cautiously over to examine the tunnel. There was no trace of anyone having been there. He frowned, glancing at Scarlett. Common sense told him that there was no evidence of anyone, but he could tell that the intense fear he had clearly seen on Scarlett's face had been genuine. "Well, my child." Father took her hand and steered her toward the warm, cheerful library. "Let's see if a little tea and reading can cheer you up. I will have Vincent look into this when I see him again."
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"Vincent!" Catherine set down her book, and smiled. Vincent stood tall in the open doorway of the patio, outlined against the shadows of the night sky. "Come in!" Catherine waved him in.
Vincent dropped lightly into the room, his cat-like tread making no sound on the plush carpet. "I just wanted to see you." Vincent said quietly, his soothing voice sending a chill down Catherine's spine that was not caused by the chilly night air. The curtains moved slowly in the breeze, playing with strands of Catherine's hair and blowing them gently across her face. She brushed them away with a light sweep of her hand. She made a lovely picture, wrapped in a pale pink dressing gown, a steaming cup of tea nearby on the nightstand.
"How good of you to come." Catherine replied, rising to let him wrap her in his strong arms. "You were not seen?" She buried her face in the rough homespun of his attire.
Vincent breathed in the scent of her hair, before finally replying. "No, I was not seen. I came to spend a quiet evening with you." He withdrew a book from within his cloak. "I thought some reading on the veranda might be nice?"
Catherine tapped her chin thoughtfully. "It's a bit chilly. How about reading on the couch? With the lights dimmed? There's more tea." She playfully smiled at the massive man that towered over her, admiring the strong features, and the kind eyes that gazed down at her, and feeling safe in the shelter of the gentle giant.
"That sounds - perfect." Vincent said softly, pulling her close and brushing one paw across her hair.
They stood there for a few moments, silent in the confort of each others embrace. They did not notice the tall, thin shadow that moved across the veranda. Grotesque arms reached for the railing and swung the long figure over the edge, and out of sight.
Oh my goodness, you guys! The writer's block for this series is gone! It hit me like a beam of light out of nowhere, and I am on a roll! Please read and review!