After The Tower - Lunch Date
By Thomas Mc
Author's Note: This is a sequel to The Tower And The Beast. I had never planned on doing a sequel to that story but after one of the reviews hinted that I needed to do one, I started thinking about it and came up with this little story.
Charles Chandler sat at the table waiting for his daughter to arrive for their lunch date. It had been four weeks since he had seen her and that nice Vincent fellow at the big Halloween charity party in the Empire State Building. He still didn't know much about Vincent except that his daughter loved him. He didn't even know what Vincent really looked like. That one time they had met, Vincent had been in that extraordinarily impressive lion-man costume. He had also come to the conclusion, based on a couple of things they had both said, and other subtle clues he and Kay had picked up, that Vincent was the one who had found Cathy in the park and saved her life. What he couldn't figure out was why they wouldn't tell anyone. As far as he knew she still claimed that she didn't remember those ten days she had been missing.
Charles looked up to see Catherine coming in the door and waved to attract her attention. She looked over in his direction, smiled, waved back, and started over to his table. He stood up as she arrived. "Hi, Daddy." She greeted him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "How is it going at the old stomping grounds?"
"Busy." He replied with a sigh. "The partners really have me hopping. This case is turning into a monster." He felt a momentary wave of dizziness and had to brace himself against the table.
Catherine reached out to steady him. "Dad ... Are you OK?" She was suddenly very concerned.
He reached up and patted her shoulder. "I'm OK, Honey. Just a combination of too much work, too little sleep and standing up a little too quickly." He smiled as he sat down. This was the second time it had happened in a week but he didn't want Cathy to worry. "Sit, stay awhile." He gestured, indicating the other chair at the table. "It's good to see you again, Cathy."
She sat down. "Are you sure you're OK, Dad?" She was not going to be distracted that easy. "Maybe you should see Peter about it."
He shook his head. "I'm just fine. Besides, Peter's got me scheduled for my annual checkup next week. I'm sure that I can last, at least, until then."
The waiter came up, handed them their menus and took their drink orders. As the waiter walked away, Charles spoke up. "Speaking of being ill, how are you doing? I tried to get a hold of you last week and was told that you were sick and staying with a friend. I tried all of your friends but no one knew where you were. Peter told me you had a bad case of the flu but he didn't know where you were staying either." As he was speaking Charles thought he saw a cloud pass across her face then disappear.
The pain of Ellie's death, from the plague that had swept through the tunnel community, was still too close to be easily hidden. With an effort, she got herself under control.
Charles asked, "That friend wouldn't, by any chance, be Vincent, would it?"
She decided not to stray too far from the truth. "Yes, I was with Vincent. It was pretty bad but he took good care of me."
"So how is the big guy doing and when am I going to meet him again?" Charles gazed at his daughter with obvious curiosity.
Thinking about Vincent brought back memories of last night and how, for the first time, he had kissed her goodnight. Vincent had become a little less reserved since that first goodnight kiss last Halloween. At least he had loosened up enough to allow her to kiss him on the lips, thought that was as far as he would let it go, but last night had been the first time he had initiated it. Oh, well, one baby step at a time. There was something about the feel of his unique feline lips on hers that that grabbed her deep inside and sent shivers up and down her spine. It always left her wanting more. Thinking about it brought a smile to her face.
Charles had noticed that enigmatic smile, that reminded him so much of Caroline, sweep across Cathy's face before being replace by the brighter smile she now wore as she answered him.
"He's doing just fine, Dad." She thought about what to say next. "He's very busy right now but I would like you both to meet if I can arrange it."
No doubt about it, she had it bad, thought Charles, and it had made her very happy. "Good, I'm looking forward to meeting him again. I'm kind of curious to see what he really looks like." Charles wondered what that strange indefinable look that just crossed her face could mean as he continued. "Didn't he wear that same costume to Brigit O'Donnell's Halloween party last year?" I'm pretty sure I caught a glimpse of him while he was there. It certainly matches the description I read in the newspapers of the unknown man that saved both of your lives." Again there was that enigmatic smile, this time mixed with the indefinable look that he had seen a moment ago.
"Yea, that was Vincent." Catherine was contemplating what her father would think of the reality of Vincent. Would he be able to accept him? "I didn't even know he was going to be there until I saw him." She thought he could accept Vincent if the introduction was handled right. "I'll see what I can arrange."
Charles smiled back. "With the way this case is going it may take a while before I can get free, but I will be looking forward to it." He paused. "Now what do you want to eat?" He didn't know why but there was something about what she had just said that he felt should be important but he just couldn't put his finger on it.
They discussed the menu and settled on their orders. Then they talked about what was going on in their respective jobs. After the food arrived the conversation shifted to the latest news about various friends. Charles managed to subtly insert references to Vincent, gleaning occasional tidbits of information about him. He learned more from Catherine's reactions than from her words. The main thing he got was that Vincent was good for her and the more he learned, the more he liked him.
The subject had come around to pairings and relationships. "So… have you reeled Vincent in yet or is he still fighting the hook?"
Her smile became contemplative. "There has been progress … but it is very slow. There are still barriers but there is also hope." She looked down at her plate then back up. "We still have to work our way past a few old scars. I know he loves me, in fact that's part of the problem. One of the biggest barriers is his fear of hurting me. But I know that, because of his love, he could never really hurt me."
Charles wondered why Vincent would be afraid of hurting her. He filed that away for further consideration. That was when he dropped his big deduction on her like a conversational bomb. "I'm sure you're right. He has already saved your life twice." There was a momentary pause as he observed the surprise dawning in her eyes. "How soon after he found you in the park did you realize that you were in love with each other?"
The clatter of her fork against her plate was all the confirmation he needed. "What?" She sputtered in shock and surprise.
"Charles grinned. "Kay and I compared notes and figured out that Vincent must have been the one that found you in the park after you were mugged." He placed his hand over hers. "I'm sure there is a good reason why you wouldn't tell anyone about those ten days." He gave her hand a squeeze. "When you're ready to tell me about it, I'll be here. I love you, Cathy, and I trust your judgment."
"There were tears in her eyes. "Thank you Daddy." She squeezed his hand back. "I promise you that next time you meet Vincent you will understand what it is all about. Vincent is a very good person and I'm sure you will really like him once you get to know the real Vincent."
"I'm sure I will. How can I not like him when I owe your life to him and he is capable of affecting you the way I saw at the Halloween party." He let go of her hand. "None of your men has ever made your eyes shine like he does. Just his name makes your face light up." He placed his hand gently on her cheek. "It reminds me of the look I would sometimes see on your mother's face."
Based on some of the things she had said, Charles now suspected that Vincent's physical appearance might be part of the problem. In a year and a half the only time she had been in public with him was at a masked party where he could hide his appearance behind a rather elaborate mask. Whatever it was, if Cathy could see past it then so could he. As it was, he now had something new to consider.
Time for a subject change. "Now, tell me what kind of mischief have you and Jenny gotten into recently?"
Continued in part 2
'Beauty and the Beast' and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.