A/N: This is a separate, stand alone chapter to a larger Beauty and the Beast (2012) story entitled "Reunion". This chapter is NOT essential to understanding and following the main story.

This chapter is published separately due to it's "M" rating. The main story is rated "T". I couldn't include this scene in the original story and maintain the "T" rating.

If you decide to leave a review/comment it would be helpful for other readers if you would go to the main story and leave your review inside the PLACEHOLDER for chapter 9.5 there. That place holder is just a document that points people to THIS separate chapter.

As always, thanks for reading and for your support.

Reunion

Special Chapter 9.5

Catherine stood naked, her body and soul an offering to Vincent. He stared at her, wide-eyed. For a heartbeat the same kernel of doubt that had nagged her in the bathroom as she'd looked at herself in the mirror tugged at the back of her mind. Did he still find her attractive after all these years? Did he ache for her as much as she did for him?

No sooner had her doubt surfaced than it was extinguished by Vincent's feral growl and narrowed eyes as he stalked toward her like a predator. He grabbed her head with both hands bringing his lips down hard on hers. Catherine grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him to her, her lips as hungry as his. Vincent's tongue devoured her mouth and his hands moved to grasp her upper arms, crushing her breasts against his chest. Heat coursed through her body and Catherine moaned as Vincent rubbed himself against her.

Needing air, Vincent broke the kiss, bringing his searing eyes back to hers. Suddenly he reached down and snatched Catherine up so quickly it took her breath away. Stepping around to the side of the bed he laid her in the middle. He climbed onto the bed, straddling her with his hands at her shoulders and his knees on either side of her thighs. Catherine reached up and grabbed the nape of Vincent's neck, pulling his lips back down to hers, unwilling for them to be parted for any longer than a moment.

The sexual heat burning inside Catherine was unbearable. She couldn't hold back any longer so she let go of conscious thought, releasing the doubts and fears that had dragged her down over the last weeks, days and hours. She needed him - had to have him. To hell with everything else. Whether this was forever or just for now, nothing else mattered in the universe except to lose herself in Vincent completely. And she would take him with her. She would pull him into glorious oblivion beside her and she would have no regrets.

As Vincent hovered over her Catherine frantically pulled his tee-shirt free from his jeans and tugged it up as high as she could on his chest, desperate to feel his bare skin against hers. He pulled his mouth away from hers and sat back for a moment, finishing what she'd started by pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it to the floor. Catherine drank in the sight of his broad shoulders and chest. His pectoral muscles were still as defined, his abdominals still as ripped, as they had been seven years before when he was soldier and needed to be in top physical condition in order to survive. Reaching up Catherine slowly ran her hands from the top of his pecs down his abs to rest on his tight stomach, feeling every luscious ridge, reveling in the warmth of his skin against her hands. As her fingers caressed his body Vincent closed his eyes and tipped his head back, rewarding Catherine with a soft moan and shudder which caused a surge in the desire pooling at her core.

Breaking out of her daze Catherine's hands made a frenzied attack on Vincent's belt buckle and in an instant she had it unfastened and began working on the button and fly of his jeans. Vincent grabbed her hands and pulled them away, then leaned forward straddling her again, pinning her hands together in one of his above her head. She struggled futilely against the strength of his grip, letting out a whine as frustration pulsed through her, maddening the aching desire between her thighs. Catherine's breath came shallow and fast, excitement tingled through every nerve. She was completely powerless and exposed to Vincent – literally his to do with as he pleased. And she wanted him to please himself. She wanted to be his pleasure.

"No, you don't," Vincent said in his low, gravely voice, thick with his own desire.

"You asked me if I wanted you," Catherine rasped as she fought for air. "I do. I want you. Now." She wriggled underneath him arching her neck and head upward, trying to reach his lips with hers.

Leaning down Vincent bypassed her lips, bringing his mouth to her ear. His chest brushed against her breast and her nipple immediately stiffened with desire. A surge of electricity shot from her breast directly to her crotch and her hips squirmed as she fought her need. She'd always had sensitive breasts and her nipples were hard-wired to her sex. Vincent obviously remembered this and the glorious bastard was playing her like a violin. She squirmed at the tension building in her body while in her mind she cursed as well as praised the maestro, wanting him to continue conducting his symphony.

"I have something to prove first," Vincent whispered and then nipped her earlobe and flicked it with his tongue.

Catherine shuddered as his mouth teased her. Struggling to find her voice she managed to force out, "Prove … what?"

"That it's always been you," he said. "And it will always be you. That I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy."

For a moment Catherine felt her heart jump at the possibility that her hope Vincent might want to be with her again could really come true. And then, just as quickly, all thought disappeared as Vincent began to trail kisses from her ear down her jaw line, then dipping down to the soft spot on her neck that always drove her crazy. Damn, the man had a good memory. His soft lips left traces of heat where they touched as they continued their journey south, across her collarbone and down to the swell of her petite breasts. Catherine caught her breath, hoping Vincent was heading in the direction she needed him to go.

Vincent kissed the top of one breast, then ran his tongue down the remaining few inches until he reached her areola where he laved it softly and took her nipple into his mouth. Catherine hissed in a long breath through her teeth and arched her back into him as another jolt of desire went from her nipple straight to her sex. She fought to free her hands so she could grab his head and pull him harder against her, but his grip remained solid. She let out another whimper of frustration which seemed to spur the adoration of Vincent's mouth on her flesh. As he sucked her engorged nipple further into his mouth, flicking it with his tongue and grazing it with his teeth, the rough fingers of his free hand trailed down her neck, over her shoulder and down her chest, finally cupping her other breast. Softly he pinched and rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Catherine let out a soft cry, closing her eyes and pushing her head back into the mattress, completely abandoning herself to his ministrations.

She bucked against the rhythm of his mouth and hand on her breasts. His touch was beyond gentle now, but not painful. It was rough and intense, driving her on, fueling her desire. Tension burned like fire in her core as he sucked and stroked her and Catherine could feel her fluids slick between her legs. He was relentless and each time she arched her back up toward him she saw white spots at the edges of her vision as he drove her closer and closer toward the tipping point.

Catherine fought to control her ragged breathing. She didn't want to let go yet. She wanted to bask in the electric fire that coursed from her breasts down through her body. She wanted to feel Vincent on top of her, dominating her, protecting her, driven her crazy with his hands and mouth. He was here with her and she surrendered herself to him, never wanting this feeling to end.

But Vincent changed the rules as he moved his hand from her breast down between her legs, cupping her trimmed mound and lightly rubbing her sex with his thumb as he slid two fingers through her wetness inside of her. Catherine arched her hips up, sucking in a breath and holding it, desperately fighting off her orgasm. She dropped her hips back down but immediately arched again, pushing herself hard into his hand while her eyes closed and her body erupted as Vincent's mouth and fingers took her over the edge.

As her body jerked and shook under Vincent's onslaught, his pinning of her hands above her head intensified her rapture beyond pleasure, bordering on a pain so luscious she didn't want it to stop. Her hips arched up into him and then collapsed back to the bed, arching up again, over and over. Her vision flared white-hot and the air burned as she forced it down her lungs against her body's efforts to steal it away from her. She cried out, her words unintelligible, but the ecstasy in her voice rang in her ears. Vincent truly was a maestro and she, gladly, his instrument.

As Catherine's orgasm began to subside she was surprised when Vincent released her hands, still bracing himself above her. Her momentary surprise turned into molten fire at the regained the use of her hands. She grabbed his head with one hand and pulled him tighter against her breast while her other locked onto the wrist of his hand pleasuring her, forcing him to work her harder. Her body raged and bucked against him as she started the climb back up toward the edge of the abyss, desperately needing to fall over its ledge once again.

"Oh …, oh …," Catherine stuttered, bending her head forward and forcing her mouth to Vincent's ear as she clawed upward toward another orgasm. "Please," she begged, "don't … stop. Don't … ever … stop."

Vincent released his lips from her breast. "Never," he growled and then covered her breast with his mouth again.

What little control Catherine had regained shattered at his reply. Her body convulsed in a second climax, obliterating the first. Writhing and thrashing with exquisite pleasure Catherine lost the ability to think. Time and space disappeared. All that existed was her ecstasy as Vincent covered her, bringing her that gift.

Catherine finally crested the torrential wave, her arms and legs shuddering as she gasped for breath. Her body slowly began its descent while her sanity gradually returned. As she relaxed Vincent lifted his head and brought both hands to rest beside her shoulders, bracing himself above her. Breathing hard, Catherine looked up at him and was greeted by Vincent's smoldering eyes.

"I love you," he whispered. "I always have. And I will love you even after the world ends."

Joy welled up inside her. A joy so primal, so visceral she had no words to describe it. He still loved her. He'd never stopped loving her, even after all these years thinking she was dead. There might still be a chance for them after all.

Unable to speak, Catherine reached up and cradled Vincent's face between her palms. Slowly she pulled him to her, gently meeting his lips with a soft, lingering kiss, trying to pour seven years of emotion into that one sensuous touch. He met her, his lips warm on hers.

After a moment Vincent slowly broke the kiss, lifted his head and found her eyes again, his face solemn. "I want you," he said. "Not just this. I want all of you. I want us, again. I'll do anything. Just tell me what to do."

Catherine looked up at him, her heart overflowing at his words. He had nothing to prove to her. There were no tasks necessary to win her back. He'd never lost her love. Vincent only needed to do one thing.

In response to his plea Catherine tightened her grip on his face and said, "Just … let me love you."

Vincent's breath hitched and she saw his eyes widen and nostrils flare. Now it was her turn. Her turn to prove to him that he was all she longed for. Prove to him she had not forgotten the promises uttered in ecstasy years ago. Prove to him that she was his. She pulled him to her again, but this time her kiss wasn't gentle. Her tongue ran across his lips, pushing against them, demanding entrance to his mouth and he complied willingly. Catherine led the dance now, fervent and needy. As Vincent's passion rose and he demanded more of their kiss, Catherine dropped her hands from his face and made quick work of the button and fly of his jeans sliding them and his boxers back over his hips and down his legs to his knees. She felt his erection spring free and she captured it in her hand.

Vincent interrupted the kiss as his breath caught, his lips still close to hers. He leaned back, quickly levering himself up and off the end of the bed to peel off his jeans and boxers. Catherine felt the loss of his lips and of his body over hers. She reached out and grabbed his hands, pulling him back onto the bed where he bent forward again, straddling her on all fours, his knees near the foot of the bed.

Vincent's eyes burned into Catherine's as he hovered over her. She again grasped his length and her body began to throb with the remnants of her earlier orgasm. He leaned down to kiss her but she stopped him with a hand to his chest. "My turn," she drawled out and she shimmied on her back down the bed, allowing her forehead to rub against Vincent's chin, chest and then his stomach as she moved closer to the prize she held captive. His turgid member reminded Catherine of his impressive size and a shiver of anticipation shot through her as she inched closer.

She reached her goal, laying on her back, her head directly underneath Vincent, her legs hanging off the end of the bed, her feet just touching the floor. She raised her head and pulled him down toward her at the same time. As she blew a hot breath down his length Vincent shuddered. Reaching out with her tongue she teased him, licking up and over, capturing the seepage that was evidence of his desire for her. He groaned as she pulled her tongue back into her mouth, parsing the sweet and salt taste of him.

Fisting Vincent's length and pumping him several times Catherine was rewarded by the hiss of his breath and more moans of pleasure. Reaching out with her tongue she caressed him again, this time slowly moving down, her lips covering him as she took him in, one slow inch at a time. As she enveloped him her forehead pushed up against the muscles of his stomach which were clenched rock hard and quivering. Triumph flooded through her that she could make this beast of a man, so large and so strong, quiver at her touch. She needed that. She needed to know she could make him come undone, just as he had done to her. She wanted to be the one to do that for him. Only she, no other.

Catherine picked up the pace, moving her mouth and hands faster, benefiting from the slickness of her saliva. Vincent's low moans continued, forced out between breaths which became more ragged by the moment. She felt him harden and widen still, while his hips begin to move slightly in counterpoint to her rhythm, thrusting into her as she engulfed him. She could feel him surging upward – climbing, clawing toward the inevitable.

Vincent's breath came hard and fast now, his moans louder and more insistent. Heat radiated from him, his body hot to the touch as his tensed muscles worked harder and faster toward his release. Small drops of perspiration formed over the length of his abdomen and they rubbed off onto Catherine's forehead as she bumped up against him. The feel and smell of his sweat, the heat from his taut muscles, the barely restrained raw power of his body electrified her every nerve, tightening her sex and sending pulsating waves of desire through her. She took him harder and faster, caught-up in her power over him and enthralled by his need for it. Again and again she covered him with her hands and mouth, caught-up in her own desperate need for his release.

Vincent's breathing hitched for a split second and then he sucked in a hard breath. Catherine knew he was close and earnestly increased her ministrations. But suddenly Vincent pulled back from her causing both her hands and her mouth to lose their purchase on him. Panic spiked through her. What had she done wrong? Had she hurt him? Did he have second thoughts? As Vincent pulled back and stood she anxiously searched his features for any clue to his sudden abandonment. His face was red from exertion, his brow furrowed in concentration as sweat dripped from his forehead. But his eyes - his eyes were clear and intense. His eyes told her he wasn't done. Relief flooded through her.

"Not yet," Vincent said, his voice hoarse and his breathing labored. "Not like that. Not today. I need to see your eyes." Before she could move Vincent reached down in a flash of motion, grabbing Catherine under her arms and lifting her high into the air, bringing her into his chest. Her body responded automatically as she clasped her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist. As she tightened her grip she felt his hardness brushing against her sex and her desire exploded. Their lips collided - wet, hot and needy - the kiss fueling their need for each other.

Vincent turned his back toward the bed and sat down on the edge, Catherine ensconced in his lap, her legs firmly entwined around him. Her face was buried against his neck and she could feel the pounding of his heart against her chest, her own heart beating just as hard. In this position even more of his arousal pressed hard against her own, making her wet with desire. As her breath came faster and harder it echoed off his neck, filling her ears.

Catherine began to rub herself against Vincent, sliding her pelvis forward and back, the need to have him inside her growing every second. Vincent's hands clamped down on her hips like vices, urging her on. She reached down and behind her, grasping him while quieting her hips. Vincent gasped as she took him in her hand and aligned him with her entrance. Slick with desire, she eased herself down slowly and he entered her easily. Simultaneous moans of pleasure escaped them both.

Closing her eyes Catherine tilted her head back and relished the feeling of how he filled her. A whispering sigh of, "Oh … God," was all she could manage as her passion began to thrum through her once more, sending warm tingles down her arms and chest, pooling in her stomach. Before she realized it she was moving again, rocking her hips back and forth with alternate undulations of her pelvis which moved Vincent in and out of her and pushed him up against her walls. She groaned out her lust, moving faster now, rubbing against him harder, needing that lust to swell up and take her once more.

Vincent began to move with her, thrusting upward as she rocked forward. With each thrust his large hands forced her tiny hips against him and a blaze of pleasure shot through her as the bundle of nerves at the crux of her sex rubbed against his pubic bone. She bit her lip and let out a hiss, tilting her head back down and opening her eyes to find Vincent staring at her. As their eyes met his thrusts suddenly doubled in urgency. He pulled harder at her and she responded without thinking, rocking faster and pushing into him. His breath was erratic, coming in rough gulps of air. Animal grunts escaped his throat with each thrust as he exhaled. He was in a frenzy now, equal to her own. She knew he was close and wanted that for him more than anything. But she was close, too. And she wanted it for both of them. She wanted it all.

Catherine tilted her pelvis forward and pushed harder against Vincent with each thrust, rocketing faster toward her release. She knew she only had seconds and she needed to bring herself the to edge ahead of Vincent so she could pull them both over together.

Their eyes were still locked together and Catherine ground out between strangled breaths, "I'm … almost there. Almost … there. Wait for me."

Vincent said nothing and Catherine felt his muscles tense more beneath her - if that was even possible - his body crying out for release. But his brow was scrunched down in determination and his eyes told her everything she needed to know. They bored into her and were filled with a devotion and adoration that told her he would wait for her - for a lifetime if need be.

That he would wait for her no matter what was the key that opened the floodgates. Catherine's body erupted, ecstasy coursing through her. White sparkles clouded the edges of her vision as her body lost its rhythm, jerking wildly against Vincent. She felt her walls clamping around Vincent, pulsating as she shuddered with each electric jolt.

As her body reeled Vincent's hands clamped down tighter around her hips, pulling her hard against him, stilling her spasms. Even within the throes of her own orgasm she felt him expand inside her, pushing against her walls. She captured his eyes again just as Vincent cried out and a pulsating warmth filled her, both body and soul.

With Catherine still straddling Vincent's lap they desperately clung to each other as their convulsions slowed and they both started breathing again, gulping for air. The warmth of tears filled Catherine's eyes as feelings of joy and contentment washed over her. She cupped Vincent's face in her hands and tenderly kissed him. A kiss she knew would tell him, more than anything else, what he meant to her. After a moment Catherine pulled back and then wrapped her arms behind his neck, burying her head in the crook of his neck, tears of happiness dripping from her chin onto his shoulder.

She didn't know how much time had passed when Vincent slowly leaned back onto the bed, pulling her down on top of him. She snuggled into his embrace while warm memories of their rickety, little army cot came to her mind.

Catherine let out a deep sigh. "I've missed you," she whispered.

"Never again," Vincent whispered back.

"Never again," Catherine echoed as she settled deeper into his arms.

A/N: If you decide to leave a review/comment it would be helpful for other readers if you would go to the main story, "Reunion" and leave your review inside the PLACEHOLDER for chapter 9.5 there. That place holder is just a document that points people to THIS separate chapter.

This is not the end of the story. Visit the main story for more chapters to be posted in the near future.