Disclaimer: I don't own Beauty & The Beast (2012)

Summary: What happens when Vincent comes up with his own plan to track the "other beast?"

Author's Notes: 1. I didn't like the end

2. ""= dialogue, ''= thoughts

Title: Love Conquers All

Cat paced the room. It was near midnight, and Vincent was supposed to meet her at the safe house by 10pm. She stared out the window as her eyes tried to pierce the darkness looking for any possible shadow that might be him. Her ears listening for any thud signalling his arrival.

The nerves worsened with every circuit. He could be injured or dead. He could be imprisoned or turned. Cat checked her phone for messages. One from an unidentified number. She hit listen, and heard Vincent's voice.

"I had to take the chance. I did it for us, for our future. Please understand that whatever happens. I love you. I always will." She played it a second time. The tone made it sound like goodbye. What had he done? A third time through revealed shortened breath, the echo of JT's voice. What was happening? The fourth; a small grunt as if he were in pain. Was he being tortured? She took her keys and jacket from the living room and left.

***
"What do we tell her?" Tess asked the umpteenth time. She couldn't get the image of Vincent's change. The agonized yelling, the sound of cracking bones. The one moment he was her friend, the next… Tess shuddered.

"The truth. Vincent specifically told us to do that. He didn't want to lie about what he did, or what happened," JT said. This was something he and Vincent quietly worked on for the last few months; a last stand. A final attempt to find the lost beast, if there was one. He squeezed her shoulder:

"It'll be okay,"

"What will be okay," Cat asked. How much had she heard?

"Is this about Vincent?" She asked. She looked between their faces. "Maybe to do with this message," she played it for them. JT realized it was the last time his friend had his voice. Tess stood up:

"You need to sit down for this. It's something only JT can explain. I'll be in the living room if you need me."

Cat sat down, her nervous energy giving way to fidgeting. "Vincent always believed in covering all the bases. He wanted a back-up plan in case everything else you guys tried to do failed. A few weeks ago he came to me with a plan. "Why not use a beast to catch a beast? It seemed an obvious solution, but Vincent was the only beast left. I worked out a formula based on Garrus' but tweaked for Vincent's DNA and tonight we used it."

"What was his state-of-mind?" She asked. It helped to try and treat it like a case.

"He came in here muttering something about being pregnant. He noticed changes in you to indicate pregnancy."

He hit play. The scene opened on Vincent on a bed inside the vault room, an IV pole stood beside him. "Are you sure you want to do this? I haven't had a chance to perfect it. You may end up turning into an animal."

"She's already given up everything for me. I want to do this for her," JT nodded. He opened the IV and withdrew. JT tapped the fast forward. The time read 10pm; when he was supposed to be with her.

"I think this was when he managed the phone call. He must have started feeling the changes in his brain chemistry," JT explained. Sure enough Vincent reached the drawer of a table on wheels, and opened it. He dialed her number. She mouthed the words along with him, already knowing them so well. He clicked off, managing to place the phone back in the drawer with a shaky hand. "I'll dim the lights," JT's voice came from off camera. Vincent's eyes were already starting to be sensitive to light.

Cat's eyes focused on Vincent for the rest of the video. The face started changing first. His eyes elongating, nose expanding to include whiskers above his mouth. His lips pulled back snarling in pain. He had fangs. Sandy brown fur covered his naked chest, and legs. His toes, and fingers curving inward as part of front, and rear paws.

He was twice his normal size. "We had nothing big enough to belt him to the bed through this, to keep him here at least long enough for you to…" Cat nodded.

J.T. and Tess re-entered the frame. JT held Vincent down while Tess took the needles out. Both flattened themselves against the wall near the doorway waiting for Vincent to make the first move.

He stood up holding his former hands in front of him as if for inspection. He sniffed the air, and looked right into Tess's eyes. Tess shook her head knowing exactly what he wanted.

"She isn't here." He nodded his understanding. She swore he had sadness in his face, shoulders slumped. They followed him to the fire escape, and J.T. opened the window for him to climb out. He gave a farewell growl, and started his descent. Cat's gaze shifted to the time on the video: 12:15am. She'd missed him by five minutes.

Cat rubbed her shoulders, rocking back and forth. J.T. put an envelope on the table between him, and shut the door behind him. She didn't register his departure, staring at the screen. Five minutes. If she'd left earlier she'd have stopped him. If she left earlier she could've said… her hand went over her stomach. Pregnant? This was the worst possible time. She slit the envelope open with a finger and began to read.

"By now you've probably discovered what I've done, and what I've made Tess and J.T. do too. My love I'm sorry. You've given up everything for me; sacrificed your career, and friendships. I couldn't let you do it anymore. You need family, and friends around. It would be unfair of me to ask you to do it again. You should have a time to relax before the baby comes. You can't do that while on the run. I also know that I'm the father… at least I should think so." Cat started laughing through the tears.

"You're probably also thinking about everything that could go wrong with the pregnancy, and the baby. Let's face it; there was never going to be a great time for us to have a baby. You'll make a great mom. J.T. and Tess will help. I'll always find you Catherine."

Love always, and forever

Vincent

A key, and bank card fell onto the desk. She pocketed both, and the letter. A final deep breath, and she was ready to face them. She squeezed J.T.'s shoulder on her way to taking a seat beside Tess.

"In the spirit of honesty I think I should tell you something. I knew about this for as long as J.T. did. I tried to talk him out of it, but.."

Cat put a finger to her lips silencing her. This was Vincent's plan, whether she liked it or not. "When Vincent makes up his mind he's unstoppable. He probably presented this is a hypothetical. Something he never thought he'd have to do,"

"It's hard not to see the logic in it. I went along with it. You two were so determined to find the beast and the beat the odds. I wanted you guys to prove a happily ever after was possible. "

Cat smiled. "I'd like to think it still is. Apparently I may be pregnant."

Tess turned back to the screen. "Muirfield doesn't exist anymore." J.T. looked over her shoulder then to the map on the wall behind him.

"That's the right area. Vincent had the scent the moment he stepped onto the fire escape. We should go, and see what he's found." Cat got to her feet.

Tess blocked her way to the door. "I don't think you should see this. He doesn't want your last memory of him to be tearing out another person's throat. Besides, shouldn't you find out if you're pregnant?"

"I can control him. Have we forgotten how many times I've talked him out of killing someone?" J.T. reappeared with weapons. He handed her one.

"Let's go."

Up next… What's going on with Vincent?