Author's note: I do not own Trinity Blood or its characters. This is set before, after, and during the anime.

Heart and Soul

Hear You Me – Jimmy Eat World

The young girl was still shaking, but she clutched at his hand in an unbreakable grip. Abel wasn't really sure what to do now that the adrenaline was spent. They were safe for now, but he didn't know how long that would last. He had no idea why those Methuselah had gone after this girl and the others in the house, but she was the only survivor. And for all her fear, she had reached out to him. Abel couldn't abandon her now. Lilith wouldn't have wanted him to either. The girl needed him, and he needed her. They would both have to move forward as best they could. He drew her a little closer, wrapping his free arm around her shoulders to try and stop her shaking.

"What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Caterina."

Empty Hearts – Josh Ritter

Caterina let out a soft sigh and curled up beside him in the window seat. Abel slung an arm around her shoulders. She might have been a mature sixteen, but she was still sixteen, and there were days when it seemed like only he remembered that. The blond girl didn't speak, just leaned against him and closed her eyes. He didn't press. Besides, he could guess what was the cause of her unhappiness. She had just spent the last three hours sequestered with her uncle and her older half-brother. Neither of them were particularly fond of Caterina, and Abel doubted it had been pleasant.

His charge wielded a great deal of responsibility, but she did so well. Caterina was both fair and compassionate which could not be said of others in her position, but Abel understood all too well burdens that responsibility at such a young age placed upon a person. It was one of the reasons he had stayed with her. The other was the fact that Caterina had both given him a renewed sense of purpose and had made a space for him in her life. When he was with her, he didn't feel empty.

For the Love of It All – Peter, Paul, and Mary

Abel found her hiding the gardens. The red color of her habit made Caterina easy to spot, though she had removed her miter.

"Hiding from your own birthday party?"

Caterina turned to face him, shrugging. "They won't miss me much. I needed some air."

He could hardly blame her for that. The formal affair going on inside was hardly most eighteen year old girl's idea of a great birthday party. However, her rank and position denied her the luxury of the simple gathering of friends Abel knew Caterina would have preferred. He couldn't change that, but he did have something that might brighten her day.

"Happy Birthday, Caterina." He pressed the little package into her hands.

Caterina gave him a puzzled look, she had told him that she didn't need anything weeks ago, and opened the cloth pouch. Her face lit up when the pendant slipped out. It wasn't anything much. A silver heart shaped locket with a garnet and a grey pearl dangling from the loop that the chain went through. She'd received much finer and expensive gifts before. But Abel knew that that this was the only gift she'd gotten that was for Caterina rather than Cardinal Sforza.

And when she whispered thank you and kissed his cheek, Abel had known it was worth all the trouble he'd taken to find the necklace for her.

In Her Eyes – Josh Groban

Abel had honestly never understood why she hadn't ever been afraid of him. Caterina didn't know if she could explain it to him in a way that made sense, but it was true. She had never feared him, and she would never fear him. And she was aware that he needed her to believe in him just as much as she needed him to believe in her. She would never tell him that he was only of the main reasons she had created the AX. While the agency was needed, they probably could have gotten by without it. But Abel had needed a place to belong, and Caterina was determined to provide him with that. There was very little she could really do for her friend, but she could at least give him a home and support. Caterina hoped that was even to give him some respite from the demons he faced.

The Way I Am – Ingrid Michaelson

Abel was really one of the only people she could just be Caterina with. Of course, the same was true for him. She had never seen him drop his mask of cheerfulness with anyone else. Caterina got to see his sorrow and his pain. And she knew he saw hers. He was one of the few people she knew would never betray her. There was something so freeing about being able to be blunt and not having to dance around with diplomatic comments about things. Abel liked her for being Caterina, and there were days when that was all that kept her sane.

Fill Me Up – Shawn Colvin

He wasn't really home at the end of a long mission until he had seen Caterina. Abel wasn't sure what it was about her, but she made him feel at ease. Somehow, her presence had become his signal for being at home. It wasn't for a number of years until he realized that she did the same thing. Anytime that Caterina had been gone someplace without him, she sought him out almost first thing when she returned. Even when she was completely exhausted, she sought him out before she sought her own bed.

Bubbly – Colbie Caillat

Somehow, Abel hadn't had this in mind when Sister Kate had asked him to keep Caterina company. The Duchess of Milan had broken her leg and was currently on very good pain killers. This was probably why she had her fingers buried in his hair and was in the middle of giving him some sort of new hairstyle. Abel really wasn't sure if he wanted to know what she was doing to his hair. Still, she seemed happy enough, and that was better than having her sulking. Caterina had never been the best patient.

"You have such pretty hair, you know that? There are girls who would kill for hair like this." Caterina giggled.

"Really?"

"Mmm hm." He could feel her fingers creating yet another braid.

"Did you know that you're the only person who ever lets me be silly? It's more fun than you'd guess, but I don't get to do it very often anymore."

It was a sad fact, but Abel knew that it was true. Caterina might only been nineteen years old, but she was also a major political player in the Vatican. She couldn't afford for people not to take her seriously. She kissed his cheek.

"Abel, how do you feel about ribbons?"

The Call – Regina Spektor

Abel let out a soft sigh as Rome came into view. It had been nearly five years since he had last been here. He'd spent the past four years tracking down Cain in order to kill him, and now the hunting and searching was finally over. Abel had parted ways with Ion in Byzantium earlier. The Earl of Mephis had his own plans now that he was home, and Abel needed to go home himself. And for him, his home was in Rome where Caterina was. She had been his home for years now.

It was early morning, and the sky was a riot of pinks, oranges, and yellows as the sun rose. Abel made his way through the streets of Rome heading not for the buildings of the Vatican but towards a small park and garden nearby them. He wasn't at all surprised to find a woman in a red habit in the midst of the garden. This had long been Caterina's favorite place to come and think, and anymore her only free time was early in the morning or late at night. As he drew closer, she looked up from the flowers she had been smelling. Caterina smiled, and Abel let out a breath. He was home.

If Everyone Cared – Nickleback

It was late, but Caterina was still awake. She doubted she would sleep at all tonight. Not after the new that today had brought. There had been an incident with a rogue Methuselah. It had been dealt with, but not before there was the loss of seventeen civilian lives and one of her agents. Caterina had been going back over the whole situation for hours now, trying to figure out where she had gone wrong, what she could have done differently to save those lives. It was not pleasant, but she felt compelled to do it. She felt that she had failed her people once again. She hated losing agents, especially if there might have been something she could have done to prevent it.

So she sat in the window seat in her study, looking out the window without seeing anything and letting her thoughts chase around in circles. She didn't know how long she'd been there when he joined her. Abel had simply sat next to her and shifted her position, so that she was leaning against him. Then he just held her and stroked her hair. Caterina leaned into him, taking what comfort she could.

You and Me – Lifehouse

Caterina watched with a smile Esther and Ion laughed together. The newlyweds looked to be enjoying themselves quite a bit. It was a far cry from this morning before the wedding when they had both been jittery and anxious. But it seemed now that the ceremony was over with, they could relax. She was happy for both of them. Their marriage might be a part of a peace treaty between the three world powers currently, but it was also clearly that they were genuinely fond of each other. Caterina wished them a long and happy life together.

Abel reached for her hand, pulling her out of her thoughts. "Come dance with me, Caterina."

She let him lead her out onto the dance floor. The reception had been going on for hours at this point, and the dance floor was mostly abandoned. Caterina and Abel swayed to the slow, soft melody, and she let out a sigh of contentment. This was not a future she had ever expected on that terror filled night that she had first met Abel, but the present was definitely a good one, and these days the future was looking quite bright. They had come a long way the two of them.