TITLE: A Happy Life

AUTHOR: Clairisant

FEEDBACK: Would love to hear both good and bad feedback but please try to be kind and constructive. Clairisant

CREDITS: A special thank you to my beta readers Qupeydoll and Vicky.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story picks up as Catherine is going to tell Vincent about the baby with a different twist.

Chapter 1

"Vincent, there are so many gifts waiting for you. You just need to open your arms to receive them," Catherine told him. After a pause, when he hesitated to do so, she urged again, "Just open your arms." As soon as he did, she planned to snuggle into his embrace and tell him that they were going to have a baby. It was the perfect opportunity, she thought as she waited.

An opportunity that never came…instead of opening his arms, Vincent crossed them and turned away from her, shaking his head. He walked across his chamber until he reached his bed and then slowly turned back to face her. "No Catherine, there are no gifts. You need to go back Above and find the life I stopped you from having…"

She interrupted him, "No Vincent! Not after all we've been through! You're not really trying to send me away again!"

"Catherine, it is because of all we've been through. No one should have to endure what we have. You must go," he stated firmly.

"I won't! You sent me away twice before and each time you promised that you would never do it again! Vincent, I love you! You are my life! And I have a gift for you…"

This time it was he that did the interrupting, "I don't want your gift Catherine. Find someone else to give it to." At her gasp of pain Vincent had to look away. This was tearing his heart out, but he knew that letting Catherine go was the best thing for her. "Please go now, Catherine," he begged.

When he said that he didn't want her gift, it was as if a knife had been plunged into her heart, but when he told her to find someone else to give it to, anger, black and virulent, boiled in her soul. How could he? Give his child to another? Oh granted he didn't know that the gift was a child, but still, to tell her to give HIS gift to someone else?! Catherine couldn't help it, the anger his careless words caused burst forth, "How dare you do this to me?! To US?! Vincent we belong together! There is no one else for me!"

"There must be, Catherine. You must leave here and find a happy life for yourself."

"There can be no happiness for me without you!"

"There can, you just need to look for it," he insisted. "You won't find it here, Catherine."

Seeing the steely determination in his set face, her heart froze. He really meant to do this! He really was sending her away for good. Pleading was getting her nowhere. Her tears seemed to have no effect on him. The only thing she could do now was pray that he would change his mind. "All right Vincent, if that's what you want…but know this, the last two times it was me who came back to you…this time you will have to come to me…if I walk out of here now, I won't be back…you'll have to come to me when you change your mind about this."

"I won't change my mind. Good-bye Catherine. Have a happy life."

With her head held high and the tears drying on her face she said, "Good-bye, Vincent." She turned on her heel and left his chamber. Every step was excruciating because it took her farther away from him. For once she was glad he no longer felt their connection through the Bond because she could let her tears fall as soon as she was out of his sight. She had to hold back her sobs though; he hadn't lost any of his incredible hearing.

To be continued….