The Tell-Tale Heart
Summary: This is immediately after "About Last Night." Just my take of what will happen next…Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE CHARACTERS OR THE SHOW OR THE EPISODE. JUST BORROWING THEM.
Chapter One: Locking Up My Heart
Man and Beast;
You cage one and they may become an animal.
If you cage the other, do they then become a man?
And if one were both, what would become of him?
"Vincent Keller you are under arrest for the murder of Curt Windsor. You have the right to remain silent…" Those words played over and over in Catherine's mind as she stood there frozen in her apartment holding the warrant in her shaking hand. His eyes looking back at her pleading for an explanation. His words, "Why is this happening?" She herself didn't know. He said he'd be fine as they took him away and shut the door. But Catherine knew he wouldn't. Whoever did this wanted him locked up for a reason. And it wasn't for justice…
Catherine shook herself out of the shock, grabbed her coat, keys and cell phone and raced down the stairs of her apartment building. She needed answers and she was willing to do whatever it took to get them.
It was still early but the city outside never stopped. Catherine pushed open the front entrance and ran up to the detective in charge. He and another officer were forcing Vincent into the back of the squad car. Something she herself had done many times to suspects and criminals, but seeing it done to him was a pain she never wanted to experience.
"He can't be taken in." Catherine pleaded to the detective. She turned her head to Vincent. His face confused and fear, something she had never really seen from him, filled his eyes.
"He doesn't have a choice. I have a warrant and the law's the law Detective Chandler." He shut the back door on Vincent and opened the driver's side before turning back to her. "You of all people should know that." Without another word, the officer slipped into the car and shut the door. Catherine knew what he said was true, but it didn't feel right at all. She looked at Vincent through the window, her icy breath catching in the air. Her eyes begged him to escape, to break free of the cuffs and run but she knew he wouldn't. Vincent had changed. And in that moment she wished he hadn't.
All she could do was stand on the sidewalk and watch as the squad car drove off with the man she loved. It took all of a minute for Catherine to snap back and act. She pulled the cell phone from her coat pocket and speed-dialed Tess. The phone rang for an eternity, at least that is what it felt like to Catherine.
"Hello?" A groggy Tess answered.
"Tess, it's Cat." She paused, the words unable to come out. Once she said them, then that was it; they'd be real.
"Cat? You still there?"
"Vincent's been arrested…for murder."
"Wait, what? When and who?"
"This morning. A detective McCauley at the 95th and few swat officers came by a few minutes ago and took him. They arrested him for the murder of Curt Windsor. I don't' why any of this is happening and why now?" Just as those words left her mouth, her eyes glanced down at the warrant still in her hand. "Tess, I gotta go. Meet me at the station. I'll be there soon. First there's someone I need to see."
"Cat, wait…" But she didn't answer her friend. She just ended the call and ran to her car determination and anger taking over any rational thought.
Tess sat up in the bed, still in shock over what her friend had just told her.
"Who was that?" JT grabbed his glasses off the nightstand and rolled over to face Tess. She looked at him, unsure of how to tell him. Tess decided blunt was the best and only way to do it.
"Get dressed. Vincent's in jail."
"Open up!" Catherine kept pounding on the apartment door. If he didn't hurry up and open it soon, Catherine was ready to kick it down.
"Coming. Hold on." Gabe turned the handle and opened the door. Catherine didn't wait; she just charged right in.
"Why Gabe? Why would you do this?"
"Do what? Do you even know what time it is? What happened?" Gabe had barely had his morning coffee and wasn't expecting any visitors, especially Catherine. Not after last night.
"I don't have time for this. I have to get down to the station and fix this mess. I just wanted to hear it from you." The look in her eyes was fierce and deadly. It caught Gabe off guard and in his mind he was grateful Catherine was not a beast, because she sure looked like she wanted to rip his throat out.
"Look, Catherine. I really have no idea what you're talking about."
"Vincent. You had him arrested for murdering Curt Windsor. The warrant was signed by your office, like I wouldn't figure it out it was you. What you couldn't stand to see me with him?" She tossed the paper on the kitchen counter. Gabe swallowed and picked up the warrant. His eyes traced over the words and the signature at the bottom.
"I didn't have anything to do with this you have to believe me. I was here the whole night you can check the security feed."
"You said you'd never let him hurt me. Was this your way of doing that?" Catherine's face was slowly shifting from anger to sadness. Her eyes started to glisten and she tried her best to keep herself together.
"Catherine, just think about it for a minute. Why would I have Vincent arrested for murder especially Curt Windsor's murder. If you remember I was there too. It was my idea to flat line him. I am just as much a part it as you or him."
Catherine took a minute and let it all sink in as the anger and rage she had a moment ago started to fade. The gravity of everything that had just happened started to bring her back down to earth and crushed every part of her.
Gabe reached his hand forward to comfort her but she pulled back.
"Don't touch me." The words just came out. Catherine didn't need a reassuring gesture or another man's touch. Her body still burned from the memory of last night and she wanted to hold onto that as long as she could. Just in case it was the last time.
Gabe pulled his hand back, afraid to do anything else that might make things worse and softly spoke,
"Just tell me what I can do." Catherine looked up at him, the anger and determination coming back.
"You can get dressed, go down to your office and see what the hell is going on."
Vincent stared out the window and into the East River as the squad car drove across the bridge to Riker's Island. His eyes remained fixated on the calm waters, as if lost in their muddy blue and green tones. It was distracting him from seeing the reality of his situation. A painful truth he didn't want to admit, not yet.
The flash of the camera was bright, but Vincent really didn't notice. His entire body had gone numb and nothing felt right anymore.
"Turn and face the left." Another flash, each one making this all the more real. "Okay this way." The officer grabbed Vincent by the arm escorted him to the get fingerprinted. A formality, since his prints were already in the system. He kept his face stoic and hard, but all the while inside fighting his more innate instincts.
It wasn't until he stood in his cell, with the orange jumpsuit and watched as the bars slid across and lock, that everything became real.
Caged; and this time, possibly, for good.
(Okay, I know this chapter was not a happy one, but it was important to start the story. There are a lot of twists to work out but hope to update soon. And just remember…not everything is black and white or as it seems to be…)
