A/N: This is another one of those "inspired at one in the morning" fics. It's comparatively short, so you won't have to suffer through long paragraphs of my writing style.Just a note, this is based off the bit of the movie where Griet learns about how Catalina was the woman in the red dress and how she ended up becoming Mistress Vermeer. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: If I owned "Girl With A Pearl Earring", I wouldn't be writing fanfiction about it, now would I?

"Good morning, Johannes."

The painter looked sleepily over at the blond woman stretching luxuriously under the red satin comforter, with an air of absolute triumph. Sudden realization seared through him. His face drained of color and he sat bolt upright. Catharina looked on in confusion as he scrambled out of the bed, frantically searching for his breeches.

"Johannes, darling, what's wrong?"

"My deepest apologies, Miss Catharina." He could barely speak for all his haste. "This sin should not have happened; we should have had more control…"

She smiled mischievously at him and leaned on one arm, barely covering herself with the counterpane. Intentionally, of course. "Apologies!" She twittered, smiling seductively at him. "My dear Johannes, last night was perfectly delicious. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could do it again?"

"Again!" Johannes Vermeer looked at her blankly.

"Yes, again." Catharina's voice was a bit petulant. "Wouldn't you like to do that again?"

"Miss Catharina, while I will not deny that last night was indeed wonderful—" here Catharina gave a girlish laugh of victory "—I will also say that it was rather against my usual code of morality. What will your parents say?"

"Oh, them!" Catharina snorted, wrapping the coverlet around herself and vanishing behind a dressing screen to put on her chemise. "I'll just tell mama that you needed me for your muse. It'll be easy enough."

"Indeed."

"Johannes, what are you doing?"

Vermeer started at the again-petulant tone of her voice. "Hm?"

"You were staring out the window." Now that Catharina had had him in her bed, she wasn't about to relinquish him, even to a five-minute reflection. Not today, anyhow. "What's so interesting out the window, anyway? It's just clouds, it's well past sunrise."

"Even clouds are singularly beautiful." He beckoned the young blonde over to where he was standing. She came eagerly, and he put his arm around her. "Look. What colors do you see in those clouds?"

She shrugged. "They're white."

"And what else?"

"They're just white."

"Is that all you see, Miss Catharina?"

"What else should I see?" Her voice was peevish now.

"I should have known," he sighed, turning away. "Most people can't see the subtleties. No matter. It takes a very singular person to see as I see. A very singular person indeed." Then the wistful moment passed, and Vermeer was suddenly all business. He picked up the red silk dress and handed it to the fuming blonde. "Put this on, I shall expect you in the studio within the hour. See that you are not late." With that, he swept out of the room, leaving a very confused Catharina in his wake.