A young doe was gingerly approaching a bush of tender leaves, easy to reach as it stood alone near a large wall. The temptation of the soft leaves and branches was irresistible to a hungry deer. However the closer it got to its prize the more hesitant it became, feeling exposed, its large alert eyes darting this way and that, searching for the cause of its unease but seemingly unable to find it. When he was only a few steps from the bush, the doe looked up the tall wall that stood behind it, dark and impregnable. A humming sound was now audible, provoking a strong caution in the deer, along with a nervous twitching that travelled throughout its delicate body. It took a few more tentative steps toward the bush, still alert to anything that could threaten it but it couldn't see or sense any real threat so it began tearing at the bush for its tender offerings. Almost immediately, it stopped, alerted by a loud banging sound and the sudden silence that followed, as the humming that had been clearly there only seconds before was now gone. The twitching, which had animated the deer so far, transformed suddenly in alert stiffness as the doe looked sideways and up, searching the semi-darkness of this late evening. And up there at the edge of the dark wall and the firmament, two yellow orbs shone brightly, staring directly down at the deer. Another growl, louder this time preceded the sudden attack. The deer didn't stand a chance as a large shape jumped from the wall and threw it off its gracile legs, immediately biting and tearing a large chunk of its throat. The doe struggled feebly for a few more seconds but the life that had beaten so strong in its chest only moments earlier was now flowing out of him inexorably.
After its hunger was momentarily satiated, the predator lifted its head with its mouth opened and filled with serrated teeth, now bloodied by its kill. It hooted like some ape, as if he was announcing its kill to the forests inhabitants. It then got up to its full height, standing on two legs, its body mostly bare but for what in the dark might've passed for fur on its legs but really were pants. Sinuous muscles rippled through its ample chest. The guttural hooting was getting louder and, if anything, more aggressive but was silenced in an instant by a strident whistling coming from behind the wall.
"Where did he go," someone could be heard shouting next, with evident anxiety.
"He's got to be on the grounds. Keep searching," another voice answered loudly with an obvious accent of authority. Moments later, the owner of the first voice called worriedly, "The power is out on the fence…
"That's not possible. He can't have broken into the locker…Go check it and wake the others, we've got to find him and fast."
The predator seemed to hesitate, staring in turn at the wall before him and the field that lay beyond. He slowly laid five clawed fingered hands on the wall, almost as if he was preparing to dig in and climb it back up but even as he was doing so, the claws that had been so prominent began to recede and the clawed hands became human ones, quite unable to get a purchase on the slick wall. Its face, that had sported a short snout above the saw-toothed mouth flattened quickly into a human face, one that expressed a little confusion and anxiety. What had been a violent predator only moments earlier was now a man with a classically handsome face and a shock of dark hair, now bloodied. The young man looked down at himself, apparently revolted at seeing the blood and gore all over his body. Spotting the deer at his feet, a look of perplexity replaced the revulsion.
More people calling from behind the tall wall diverted his attention from the macabre spectacle and he almost seemed about to answer them. The words caught in his throat however and instead, he turned towards the field and started running.
Chapter I
"I'm telling you, she's gonna go ballistic if we're not there on time," said Vincent Keller in his deep gravelly voice. Vincent was tall and athletic and quite handsome, if somewhat rugged and full of edges. At the moment his muscular form was fitted into a tuxedo which his friend told him made him look like a dashing James Bond. If the compliment had come from anyone else Vincent would probably have protested or simply shied away from it but he knew J.T. and his good humoured exaggerations. They had known each other forever and kept almost nothing from each other, more like brothers than friends. He and J.T. were at the former gentlemen's club which was still serving as J.T.'s temporary lodgings after they had to blow up their hiding place in a chemical plant a while back, and Vincent was already by the door, waiting with more than a little hint of impatience for his friend to come along.
"Look here, it's not my fault she didn't give us more warning. What was the big emergency anyway?" J.T. was working on the knot of his tie, obviously uncomfortable in his own suit.
"You know her; she's a spur of the moment type of girl."
"You can say that. From what I understand, only a few months ago she was guy hopping like there's no tomorrow and now she's in a hurry to get hitched…she pregnant?"
"J.T.!" Vincent exclaimed irritably. "First of all, don't you go and ask something like that when we see her or Catherine'll have your hide and mine. Also, it matters a lot to Catherine that I got along with Heather and being on time for her wedding is a big part of that."
"Alright, alright. It's just…"
Vincent's intensely attentive eyes turned to J.T. Forbes as he spoke, "I can't believe you're still worrying about Tess. She was devastated when she thought you were dying."
"I know, I know…but going to a wedding with her so soon…" J.T. replied with a hint of uncertainty. Before the attack by Gabriel a few weeks ago, his relationship with Tess had been up and down to say the least. For his part, he knew how he felt about her without a doubt. However, ever since his release from the hospital, he had been wondering if all the attention she showered upon him wasn't more of a reaction to his near death experience than genuine love. This reception was their first official date since the incident and although he felt better than ever physically, he was nervous not only because of his lingering doubts about Tess's feeling but also about whatever the "agency", as they had come to call it, had done to him. "I wasn't really prepared to go out just yet. I haven't even really begun to understand what those guys did to me… what if?"
"If you're worried about growing whiskers or something, we'll deal with that," Vincent answered with more than a little humour.
"Joke all you want about me, but we don't know jack about this "agency" and what they really want. After Muirfield, one would think you'd be a little more circumspect about people like them."
"I am, trust me," Vincent replied more seriously. "But right now, I'm more worried about Heather and Catherine's reactions if we don't get there on time."
"Never figured you for whipped," J.T. quipped, even as he finished tying the knot on his tie and started toward the door.
"Careful man, one never knows when I might get tired of your taunts," Vincent faked threatened his friend, who simply smiled as he headed out the door.
Catherine Chandler, a petite brunette with delicate features, often underestimated by her peers in the police force because of her beauty, was now pensively looking out from the porch of her father's summer house. Her biological father was a former FBI agent, also associated with Muirfield, a shady agency who had been the cause of so much misery in the past. He was now imprisoned for that particular indiscretion along with the kidnapping and subsequent murder of a prominent business man slash gangster and the attempted murder of that man's daughter almost a year ago. Many more crimes could have been added to his tally but the very nature of those he ordered murdered precluded that. Sometimes Catherine had moments where she questioned what she did in relation to those events, particularly for the fact that she ended up covering for the man who carried out those killings. However she knew deep down that Vincent wasn't really to blame for them. No more, in fact, than most of those treated with the beast serum, in truth, serums. The last batch concocted by Muirfield and that her father had used on Vincent had actually wiped his memory clean and basically transformed him into a military killing machine until his memories and his love for Catherine had brought Vincent back from the brink. From where she stood she could see the gazebo where she'd witnessed Vincent kissing another woman, a beast herself, right after he threatened her father and she remembered vividly the pain it had caused her. At the time she had not quite understood the sudden and utter aggressive nature of his attack on her father but soon afterward she'd found out her father had been the one who kidnapped Vincent in the first place. By then, however, the damage had been done and it took a lot for Vincent and her to find their way back together.
The only thing that mitigated those unpleasant memories was the fact that Vincent was totally committed to her now and these events and their subsequent consequences were a thing of the past. Now almost a year later and even though her relationship with her biological father was still very strained, she was again at his summer house, this time as its new owner. In a grand gesture of sorts, her father had gifted the country mansion to her, stating that it was an act of contrition on his part and that he hoped she would accept it as proof that he had turned the page on his formerly relentless pursuit of Vincent. He'd told her he hoped the house could be a haven for them to get away from the bustle of the city. Catherine was still uneasy with anything coming from her father but she had to admit that the idea of such a great place they could call their own held a certain appeal.
"I can't believe how great this place is," Heather enthusiastically exclaimed, even as she was coming out of the French doors. She was wearing a strapless white wedding dress, much simpler than the one she'd been wearing the day of her kidnapping. Then she had planned a big wedding back in Florida with all of their friends present but what happened had changed Heather's perspective somewhat and the need for a big celebration had been replaced by the simple happiness of still being alive and having close friends and a man she loved. "Your father must be loaded…" she added just a little hesitantly. It wasn't that long ago that the girls had found out they weren't born from the same father. Even so, the only father that both girls had known all their lives was really the one they considered family and they both still mourned his passage.
"Must have paid very well to be on Muirfield's payroll," Catherine replied sarcastically.
"Come on, Cat, at least he's trying to do something for you."
"I guess so…" Catherine couldn't hide her uneasiness at the subject but for Heather's sake, she decided to put up a good front. "At least it's gonna be perfect for the wedding. I'm glad I could do that for you."
"Matthew is still in awe of the house," Heather rallied, smiling happily at the thought of her fiancée. Catherine had only met him a couple days ago when they arrived and announced that they planned to get married during their stay in New York. At first, they had only meant for a quickie wedding with a judge of the peace and their close family present but when Catherine suggested the mansion she'd recently received as a gift, Heather and Matthew had gushed effusively at her generosity and even more so when they saw the place. Her soon to be brother in law was pretty much everything she had expected: good looking, longish blond curly hair, blue eyes and athletic. He had also struck her as very gentle and open. In short, she was determined to silence any lingering doubts she still harboured about her sister's choice, mostly because she thought it had more to do with her distrusting nature than any fault the man might have. According to him like Catherine and Heather, Matthew had lost his parents but in his case he was very young when it happened and he barely remembered them. He had mentioned a brother but he hadn't seen him in years apparently. That was the main reason they had elected to get married in New York rather than back in Florida as they wanted to at least have Heather's family present, meaning Catherine and her friends, who Heather now considered her friends as well. In a way, Heather had also wanted to put to rest the fear that was still occasionally choking her at the memory of her kidnapping and near death only a couple months earlier. The fact that those who did her harm were now dead and buried helped alleviate most of those fears but she thought it would be cathartic to do something that would make her the happiest in the city where it all happened in order to put those memories resolutely behind her. And also, she knew that Catherine was not ready to leave her friends behind even for a few days.
There was still too much uncertainty for her to feel confident that she and Vincent's past troubles were in fact in the past. Not to mention some problems with Vincent's friend that Catherine had vaguely referred to. By now, Heather knew better than to pry. Catherine's issues were of an extraordinary nature lately and, for once, Heather felt she'd been shocked enough for the time being. She'd only asked of Catherine that she gave her assurance that none of those problems were an immediate danger to Catherine herself and when her sister had reassured her on that point Heather chose to believe her. "Now if that boyfriend of yours could get here though," Heather started with a hint of irritation. "Everything is ready."
"I'm sure they'll be here any moment now," Catherine said conciliatorily. Even as she spoke, J.T.'s powder blue hatch back turned into the driveway and Catherine couldn't help a little sigh of relief at seeing Vincent and J.T. coming up the driveway. Every time they were apart, she wondered if something would happen to Vincent. Their relationship was such that every day seemed to be a gift. At the same time she longed to feel like nothing could come and shatter their happiness. In point of fact, watching her sister and her fiancée had honed that desire all the more. Catherine had to admit that she was a little jealous of their carefree relationship. At the same time, she also knew that no matter what, she wouldn't trade what she had with Vincent for anything. The swelling of emotion she still felt every time she was with him was unlike anything she'd ever felt for anyone before. And what was more, the way he looked at her even now coming up the stairs, she knew in her heart he felt the same way. It was only the presence of her sister and J.T. that kept her from throwing herself in his arms right then and there. As it was, she nestled herself against him as he wrapped his arms around her. "Hey," he simply said.
"Where were you," Heather inquired with her usual directness.
"So sorry," J.T. answered, "traffic you know…"
"Well, let's not lose any more time," Heather replied impatiently, already heading back into the house without waiting for them.
"Well," J.T. said to no one in particular, "wedded bliss hasn't changed her in the least."
"J.T. play nice," Vincent cautioned even though deep down he had to agree. In the past he had been grilled by Heather and knew the feeling. At the same time he shrugged in protest of his own innocence in the matter when he noticed Catherine's disapproving look. He was certain they were in for a lecture but just then Tess came out of the house and she resolutely grabbed J.T.'s arm, pulling him inside before he had time to protest.
Catherine grabbed Vincent's hand with the obvious intent to follow them in but she felt a resistance and stopped to look back at Vincent, who was simply leaning back against the ramp of the porch, smiling softly. "Hey," she protested mildly, "you heard Heather, it's time." As she said so she gripped his hand a little tighter, and pulled on him but it was as if he was melded to the porch and he didn't budge an inch. Instead, the next moment she found herself pulled back against him forcefully and she didn't protest anymore.
"I'm sure they can wait a little longer," Vincent whispered right against her lips before kissing her passionately. As he pulled away, Catherine could still feel the heat of desire coursing through her, her heart racing like the first time. "So," Vincent said then, the same half-smile still lingering on his lips, "are we going in?" Even without special senses, Catherine could tell, could always tell really, that he felt the same way she did right then. Almost two years into their whirlwind relationship they were still so into each other, sometimes it scared her a little. But then, just looking into his adoring eyes was enough for her to set that fear aside once more.
"I'm not the one who misbehaved," she playfully reproached.
"Right, and that's all on me I'm sure," Vincent replied just as playfully. Slightly more seriously, he looked her over appreciatively, "You look stunning, Miss Chandler."
"Thank you," she said playfully, "And you don't look too shabby yourself Mr. Keller."
"I better…this suit is making me itch all over but I guess it's all for Heather so…"
"Yes for Heather," Catherine replied pensively as she looked back towards the French doors. "You think we…"
"Anything you want, Catherine. I don't see any reason we couldn't," Vincent reassured her, knowing her concerns maybe better than she did herself.
"You know it's only been two weeks…"
"Yes," he smiled reassuringly, "two weeks where we didn't have to hide, run, face death, fight…." Just then however Vincent interrupted himself, his expression changing minutely, but enough so that Catherine recognized the signs for having seen them too often.
"What is it?" she questioned anxiously.
Vincent hesitated another few seconds but then he shrugged dismissively. "It's nothing, I just thought I sensed something, but I'm sure it was nothing, probably just some animal, it's already gone…"
"You're sure?" Catherine asked, only half-reassured by his denial.
"Yeah really, there's nothing, I'm sure it's probably the fact that we've been so carefree lately. It's just hard to believe nothing is coming for us. Also might have to do with being back here…."
"If you don't want us to stay here, we can just go back after the ceremony," Catherine said quickly. "I know the place doesn't hold too many good memories for us…"
"Well," Vincent suddenly smiled, "I seem to remember something kinda nice about it."
The memory of their tryst just before all had gone wrong last year still brought a smile to Catherine's lips as well. However she turned serious again as the rest of their stay was still too fresh in her memory. Catherine ran her fingers tenderly down his cheek, "if you're sure…"
"Of course," Vincent replied, also remembering the less pleasant episode but deciding that it was for another discussion. "Let's go before Heather really gets mad," he joked just a little awkwardly. This time, he took Catherine's hand and led them inside.
At the edge of a nearby wooded area a pale shape darted from one tree to the next and then seemingly vanished.
Inside the den, which had been temporarily repurposed as a wedding chapel by Heather with her usual abandon, everyone was obviously waiting for them, the look of impatience on Heather's face more eloquent than any words. Truthfully, the pastor who'd agreed to marry her and Matthew on such short notice had told them that he could only give them about an hour of his time and they'd already wasted 30 minutes of that. Not that the ceremony lasted very long, as they dispensed with most of the rituals to get to the heart of the matter faster. Heather and Matthew were obviously very emotional and their happiness when the pastor declared they should kiss at last was palpable. Catherine couldn't hold back a few tears of joy for her sister but also at her sadness that neither of their parents were here to see this. Vincent's hand tightened on hers, telling her that he most likely sensed how she felt, as he always did, but he said nothing. Catherine and the others present were just standing up to applaud the newlywed when she suddenly felt herself pulled rudely to the side, and barely had time to register the change in Vincent before a loud growl filled the den and made her blood run cold. Given what had transpired recently, her first thought went to J.T. and she turned from Vincent just long enough to confirm that he was still there and more importantly himself. The look of bewilderment and obvious fear on his and Tess's face told her all she needed to know about it. Then Vincent blurred in front of her and that's when she saw what had caused his agitation. A large beast stood in the doorway, drooling from his open maw, his eyes glowing yellow in the half light of the den. It was obviously preparing to attack just as Vincent collided violently with him and they both stumbled toward the French doors, shattering them in the process. It had all happened so suddenly that only Heather's screaming brought Catherine back to the present circumstance.
Reluctantly leaving Vincent to the matter of the new beast, she turned towards the dais and the newlyweds. Fortunately, it seemed that the pastor had passed out and probably could be convinced he'd imagined most of it. Heather was obviously terrified, no doubt all of her fears from before were coming back to her at once. The sight broke Catherine's heart but what really shocked her was Matthew's reaction. Alarm bells started ringing anew in her mind when she saw him push Heather out of his way and run out the door behind the two fighting beasts. As much as she wanted to go after him right away, a thought occurred to her. "J.T., the collar?"
"In the car," he answered shortly, already running out towards the car through the shattered French doors. Catherine followed him, all the while staring at the beasts fighting and Heather's now husband staring helplessly just out of range. J.T. was fumbling with the glove box nervously. "Hurry up," Catherine urged as she saw that the new beast was overpowering Vincent. Blood was already running from his left side and her heart sank at the thought that it could all end here, just when they thought this was all behind them.
"There," J.T. said as he pushed the collar into her waiting hand and she started running towards the combatants, oblivious of her own safety. Vincent had fallen to the ground and the other beast was now straddling him, his clawed hand raised, about to strike a deadly blow when a scream from Matthew seemed to stop him momentarily. "Jeremy, NO!" The newcomer looked up with unfocused eyes, the rage in them fighting with a hint of recognition. Catherine didn't wait for the beast to make up his mind and she used his hesitation to get to him and tie the collar with the green gem around his neck. The result was satisfyingly rapid and the beast that Vincent had been fighting quickly reverted to a human shape, albeit, a dirty and dishevelled one wearing only torn pants and nothing else. Seeing that his opponent was now subdued, Vincent pushed away the hand that had been about to strike him and he shoved the man off of him rudely before getting up on unsteady legs, now feeling the full hurt of the wound at his side. "Vincent," Catherine exclaimed when she saw him collapse after only a few steps holding his side where three deep gashes could be seen bleeding profusely through the shredded suit and shirt. She and J.T. got to him at the same time, turning him on his side, and staring in horror at the wounds. "It's ok, Catherine," Vincent managed to tell her in spite of his evident pain. "We need to get you to a hospital," Catherine exclaimed.
"No hospital, Catherine, please; I don't think this is worth all the questioning. J.T. can patch me up."
Catherine hesitated. She was torn between her fear for Vincent's life and their safety once more.
"I have the med kit in the car," J.T. called even as he ran towards the trunk and opened it quickly. He came back and was nervously drawing out supplies while Catherine fearfully tore the rest of the shirt opened. As J.T. began cleaning the wound, Catherine crouched by Vincent's side, his head resting on her thighs and through his touch she had the strangest sensation that she was sharing his pain, as if she'd taken some of the burden. She quickly dismissed it as a psychological reaction however. "I really thought we were passed this," she said out loud. But even as she did, Catherine already understood that they could never be completely free or like other people. At the same time, she also realized that she'd accepted all of it as a matter of fact. All of her lingering doubts about the relationship between Vincent and her were truly in the past. Losing him was simply out of the question.
Even as this simple realization occurred to Catherine, she caught sight of the other two men still on the lawn with them and the seriousness of the situation came into clear focus for her. Vincent getting hurt this bad had made her forget all about what caused it but seeing the now subdued man who attacked him, Catherine's mind was awash with questions. The man in question was barely recognizable as human; the little of him she saw was covered with blood and dirt. At the moment he was focused on Heather's new husband and this one was hesitantly walking toward him, seemingly animated with the same concern she and J.T. felt for Vincent.
Before he could reach him however, the man Matthew had called Jeremy fell face first to the ground, a tranquiliser dart sticking out of his neck. Catherine turned towards the house and spied Tess still holding the gun she'd shot the man with. "Don't worry about this guy," Tess called haltingly. This seemed to spur Matthew into action as he got to the fallen man and knelt by him with a worried expression that finally hit home with Catherine.
"It's not possible," she uttered dejectedly under her breath, "can't be this bad lucked…"
"What the hell are you talking about Cat," J.T. questioned without looking up from the task at hand. He'd injected a numbing agent already and was preparing to close the deepest wound. Instead of answering his question, she countered, "are you sure you know what you're doing?"
"Believe me I'm getting good at it. It's not like I didn't get to practice this a lot." J.T. replied, obviously nervous in spite of his assurance to the contrary.
"He's doing fine," Vincent interjected breathily. "Now what's this bad luck business?"
"This beast, he wasn't here for you…"
"What do you mean?" J.T. asked before Vincent could.
"I mean look at them," Catherine indicated the two men across from them on the manicured lawn that had been so pristine only moments before.
The three of them now turned their attention in the direction Catherine indicated and saw Heather's new husband fussing over the collared beast. It was Heather herself however that confirmed what Catherine intimated to them as she came out of the house behind Tess, took it all in and exclaimed vehemently, "No no no no no, that can't be. I'm not a part of that. Matthew, you're not part of that! Please tell me you don't have anything to do with this!"
Matthew finally reacted by turning pleading eyes toward his new wife. "I'm sure my brother didn't mean for it to go this far," he insisted, seemingly more to convince himself than anyone else.
Heather simply stared at him with a horrified expression for what seemed like an eternity. But then she turned her back to all of them and ran back inside. Catherine would've gone after her but too much was going on at once. "Tess," she simply asked and her partner quickly came to them, handed her the trank gun and ran back towards the house and Heather.
Meanwhile Matthew stared at the doors Heather and Tess just went through with a mortified expression but he didn't leave either. Instead he managed to regain some countenance and turned to Catherine, Vincent and J.T. "I swear he doesn't normally attack people unprovoked."
J.T. who had just put in the last stitch now angrily faced the groom. "Tell that to my friend here!"
"I'll be fine," Vincent reassured J.T. while grabbing his arm and applying just enough pressure to stop him from getting up and in Matthew's face. "Maybe it was my fault."
"What's that? Falling on your sword week and I didn't get the memo? It's a beast and you went after him..." J.T.'s voice trailed as he realized what he was saying. "You know what I meant..."
"Don't worry about it J.T." The hurt look on his friend's face told J.T. that he'd understood the implication of his earlier comment all too well however.
Catherine interrupted them. "What did you mean it might be your fault?"
"I think he was only here for his brother but when I sensed him I reacted on instinct." When he saw the incredulous looks on his friends faces Vincent added, "when I was fighting him I..." he stopped and turned pleading eyes toward Catherine, which immediately made her nervous. Directly to her he continued apologetically, "I lost control..."
Catherine visibly struggled with this admission, knowing how much it cost him; but given the circumstances she chose to deal with that later. In the past Vincent's lack of control had almost been a deal breaker between them and she really hoped this had only been a onetime thing. After all, the situation was definitely extraordinary. In fact she still couldn't wrap her mind around what happened just yet. Right then she had a more pressing concern. "Can you move," she asked Vincent, now staring at the other beast with renewed worry. "Yes, I'm gonna be ok," Vincent replied as he slowly got up supported by both Catherine and J.T. His winces of pain were painting a different story, but he'd obviously understood what Catherine's intentions were. "J.T. we're gonna put him in your car alright?" Vincent indicated the fallen man as he spoke. J.T. seemed about to protest but then thought better of it. "Dungeon?"
"Safest thing to do right now… Catherine, we'll be fine. You should go to your sister now and meet us there later."
"I don't think you should be around him," Catherine protested. "We both know you don't heal as well as you used to, but it's not..." Catherine hesitated still, holding his face tenderly while searching his eyes for reassurance. Vincent bent toward her and lightly kissed her. "Nothing is gonna happen, Catherine. We'll leave the collar on him and trank him again if necessary."
"But what if you lose control again," Catherine insisted, lowering her voice so only Vincent could hear.
"I won't ok," Vincent replied just a tad testily. Catherine's crestfallen expression mollified him however. "Look, J.T. has the trank gun and besides with the gem in proximity..."
Catherine held his gaze for a moment, and all she saw in his eyes was the same deep affection and desire she always could see in them. Right then however she was also very concerned about his health. "What if none of that works? You're in no shape to fight."
Vincent avoided answering her by turning to J.T. and he saw his friend already heading for the sleeping man. "Let me help you" he said to him, taking a step in their direction. However Vincent had to stop to catch his breath even from this little effort. J.T. saw it and waved him off. "No way! You're not gonna undo my handiwork big guy. I'll try to get this Matthew to help. I'm guessing he won't let us grab his...still can't get my head around that one...his brother and stay behind."
"Fine by me," Vincent replied, grateful to his friend for understanding he didn't want to show weakness in front of Catherine. Eyeing the groom suspiciously, he added "I wouldn't leave him here either. I think he's got a few things to answer for."
Catherine stared at him thoughtfully at that but refrained from commenting. She truly wanted to believe she could trust him not to hurt Matthew; not on purpose anyway.
Surprisingly, Matthew didn't object to J.T.'s request, acting almost unfazed by all that transpired. Truthfully, he looked shaken up but didn't even question Vincent beasting out or the collar. It was as if he'd seen it all before and the only thing that really seemed to bother him was that the collared man at his feet was still unconscious. "Where are we going," was all he asked before helping J.T. lift his brother off the ground and drag him to the back of J.T.'s car, where they set him up with a blanket under his head, curled slightly to fit behind the back seat of the roomy hatchback.
"We have a safe place in town," was all J.T. would tell him and Matthew took it in without comments. He simply climbed into the back seat of the car to keep an eye on his brother. J.T. and Vincent exchanged a somewhat suspicious look at the cavalier way Matthew reacted to it all but they reached a silent agreement to deal with it later. J.T. took the driver's seat while Vincent returned his attention to Catherine.
"We'll make sure he's secured in the dungeon and then see what we can learn from Matthew."
"I'll meet you there as soon as I can," Catherine assured him. "But now, I've got to go deal with Heather and the pastor. This is yet another mess," Catherine added dejectedly.
"You don't have to do this alone, Catherine. I can talk to Heather if you want…"
"No, that's my job and besides, I'm not sure she'd be very receptive right now," Catherine replied even as she took his face in her hands. "But don't go thinking that it was your fault alright?" she added tenderly.
Vincent pulled her toward him but as he did so a stabbing pain in his side caused him to wince and almost jump back.
"This looks worse than you let on," Catherine worriedly said as she noticed that blood was seeping through the bandage. "You should really go to a hospital."
"I told you I'd be fine. Don't worry about me. Go see Heather alright?" Vincent insisted.
"Alright but we'll talk about this again when I get to the dungeon."
Vincent simply kissed her on the lips and lingered a moment longer, an amused smile forming unbidden on his. "We really do lead a charmed life, what with dates in dungeons and all". Catherine couldn't help but smile as well at this humorous take on the situation. Vincent then went to take his seat in the car. Catherine knew from his unsteady gait that he was hurting and she felt a deep anxiety at letting him go without her but she knew that she needed to damage control this situation before it went too far. She watched the car until it was out of sight and then went inside, seeking Heather. First, though, she stopped in the den where she found Tess dealing with the Pastor who'd woken up and wasn't very receptive to her explanations.
"I don't know what you thought you saw, sir."
"I saw a beast, a monster coming into the house!" The Pastor exclaimed excitedly. His demeanour indicated high agitation, understandably, but they needed to deflect him at all cost. Catherine was about to attempt it but Tess beat her to it. "Look sir, I don't know what you think you saw but I can assure you, it was no monster. Granted, it was rather frightening…A bear got in the house… but fortunately, we scared it away."
"That was no bear! I know what I saw!" The Pastor was getting more agitated by the moment.
Catherine tried in turn, "we all saw the bear, sir. Maybe when you passed out, your mind played tricks on you…"
The Pastor turned incredulous eyes towards her but after a few seconds he seemed to calm down somewhat, obviously trying to reconcile what he saw to what he was told happened. "Maybe…" he began hesitantly. "I don't know anymore."
"Do you need us to call for a doctor or someone to pick you up maybe," Catherine immediately replied, hoping he wouldn't start doubting them again.
"I…I don't think I need medical help but…I'll call a friend myself. I just…"
"Seriously sir, it's all alright. The bear ran off and no one was hurt," Catherine added, wincing inwardly at yet another lie in the name of beasts. This one was particularly painful to her since she was basically calling a man of the cloth a liar, but it couldn't be helped. "Now if you're sure you'll be ok, I have to go see my sister…"
"Of course, of course," the pastor acquiesced a little distractedly, still staring at the destroyed French doors in bewilderment. He then seemed to shake off some remnant of doubt and turned to Catherine with a solicitous expression. "Obviously, your sister and her new husband must be devastated. I hope they'll be ok."
"Don't worry, they're strong and they have a happy life ahead of them. Thank you so much for your understanding," Catherine added before giving Tess a knowing look and heading upstairs towards Heather's room.
The door to the room was locked but Catherine could hear her sister crying softly inside. "Heather?" She called to her.
"I want to be left alone," came the immediate answer, suggesting that Heather had heard her coming up.
"Come on Heather, we need to talk about this."
"Yeah...? And what's that gonna help? You're gonna tell me a beast didn't just crash my wedding? Oh and that my fiancé apparently knows about them? Even though I've never talked to him about any of this?" Each sentence was spoken louder one than the next and Catherine knew that her sister was coming unhinged.
"Come on Heather, let me in. It's just me..."
A long silence followed during which Catherine questioned whether or not she'd have to force her way in...But then the door slowly opened and Catherine only got a glimpse of her sister's red rimmed eyes before Heather turned back to the bed and literally fell in face first, her lithe body shaken by violent sobbing. Catherine ran to her and threw her arms around her protectively. Heather didn't react at first but after a moment she pulled away from her sister's embrace. "It's all your fault," she cried between shuddering breaths.
No matter how unfair Catherine thought this reproach was or how upset it made her, she chose to drop it for the time being. She knew how stubborn her sister could be but also that when she'd have all the facts hopefully she would come around. "I'm so sorry this had to happen on your wedding day."
She noticed that Heather appeared to calm down a little and figured that maybe she could at least answer a few questions. Catherine had quite a few in light of what happened. "Heather..." she asked softly, "are you sure you never mentioned Vincent's huh...issues to Matthew?"
Heather replied angrily, "how exactly was I supposed to get THAT into the conversation? Hey by the way my sister's boyfriend literally is a beast!?"
"Sorry I asked," Catherine answered crossly. Sometimes her sister's attitude could be beyond infuriating. The only reason Catherine didn't just turn her back on her at that point was the fact that in the past Vincent and her had been the cause of Heather's jeopardy. However, maybe because Heather's accusations were directed at Vincent, Catherine's resolution not to correct Heather's misconceptions about the earlier attack went out the window. "Vincent and I apparently had nothing to do with what happened, Heather. If anything, Vincent saved you again!"
"How can you say that? A beast attacked us!"
"You mean the same beast that your fiancé calls his brother?" The look of utter shock and dismay on her sister's face floored Catherine. She had been so angry that she'd gone overboard. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have blurted it out like that..."
Catherine could now see anger, grief and disbelief taking turns on Heather's expressive face. "Look here," she finally screamed in self-righteous anger. Before she could pursue her tirade however, Tess arguing loudly with someone on the first floor grabbed Catherine's full attention along with Heather's. Tess had sounded more pissed than truly fearful but Catherine wasn't about to take chances. She left the room without a word, causing Heather to wonder if her sister was abandoning her. Before she knew it though Catherine was back in the room's doorway holding her service weapon with both hands in a steadying stance. She silently indicated to Heather that she should hide in the closet, which was spacious and, Catherine noticed in passing, filled with women's clothing and dusty boxes. As soon as Heather closed the door she headed down toward the commotion. In addition to Tess's voice she could now here a man speaking in a calming tone that only seemed to exacerbate her partner more.
Catherine had hoped that it might just be the pastor engaging in an argument with Tess but as she got closer she recognized the calmer voice. She lowered her gun at that point and an irritated sigh escaped her as she resolutely descended the last few stairs and returned to the den. "What are you doing here," she immediately asked the tall black man facing Tess. The other agent she'd met at the hospital a few weeks prior was also present.
"I was just telling your friend here that we came to offer our assistance."
Immediately suspicious, Catherine understood Tess's visceral reaction to the newcomers. Yes they had saved J.T. from certain death that day but their methods and secrecy put her and everyone else ill at ease about their motivations. In fact they had made it clear that there should be a quid pro quo down the road. One that might put not only her and Vincent in danger but most likely J.T. and Tess as well.
"Your...assistance...right..." Catherine pointedly replied. "Now a suspicious person might question how a beast came here just now, one that is supposedly related to my new brother-in-law of all things, and here you are! Ready to save the day!"
The black agent was watching her with an infuriatingly calm expression that only served to magnify Catherine's irritation. "Actually, Miss, from what we saw, you've all dealt with the problem rather efficiently and were in no need of us sweeping in and saving the day. Although we did take care of your little witness problem…"
"What? You didn't kill the pastor did you?" Tess went right up to his face as she screamed this.
"Of course not," the black man replied calmly, amazingly cool in the face of such an accusation, "we merely reinforced your little deception when we arrived, and trust us the man is now convinced a bear came into your house…"
"And I suppose you're gonna tell us you had nothing to do with this attack right?" Catherine spat.
"Miss Chandler I can assure you that we had nothing to do with this..."
"And yet here you are!"
"I know what this looks like but we did say we've been watching you all for a while. We didn't hide that fact from you," the agent answered reasonably. "We told you we need yours and Mr. Keller's help. What purpose would be served by us attacking you?"
"I have no idea," Catherine yelled. "You tell me!"
"Look, you at least must know we're not going to hurt you or your friends, right?"
"As long as we're of some use to you..." Catherine saw the agent preparing to protest and she spoke first. "Trust is earned and frankly you've got a lot to answer for. A few weeks ago you did have people killed just to conceal the truth."
"If you're referring to the guard, he really did have a heart attack Miss Chandler and you had already done a great job of dealing with what he saw. We didn't think he was a threat in any way after that."
Catherine stared hard at the agent but could detect no dissembling. At times like these she wished she had Vincent's ability, but she could only rely on her own judgment now, as flawed as it might be. "What about the man who planted evidence? His heart attack was two bullets through it..."
"First, what would our motives be? We wanted your boyfriend out of prison and that man's death only served to delay his exoneration... Maybe you should be looking closer to home for a culprit..."
"It wasn't my father," Catherine shot back just a little too fast. The look of commiseration she received in lieu of a reply hurt more than an outright contradiction. Still, the same way she'd just decided to follow her own instincts in regard to the agents, Catherine had already weighed her father's guilt in the matter. At the time he had no particular reason to lie about it since he'd already admitted to have framed Vincent. However ever since she and Gabriel had found the man dead in his apartment a more logical answer to the mystery had nagged at her more than once. Her reluctance at admitting this ultimate betrayal had kept her from facing the truth in this matter so far.
The past year had been a long and often painful one. Never more in fact than when she found out the other man she'd let herself fall in love with was in fact the true monster he'd nearly convinced her Vincent to be. The agency had been the perfect scapegoat until now but Catherine realized that the truth must indeed reside closer to home. Then again, if she was right, Gabriel had already paid the ultimate price for his crimes. To his credit the agent didn't press the matter. Instead he returned to the present problem. "The only reason we contacted you directly is that we guessed Vincent didn't go to the hospital and basically came to offer our services."
"Thanks for the offer but J.T. already took care of it."
"All the same if he needs more medical attention we can always provide some help, discreet and off the radar of any government or law enforcing agencies…" The other agent who'd been silent so far handed her a card, which Catherine took after a moment of hesitation. He also gave one to Tess, who after a nod from Catherine also grabbed it. However the fact that these men were already aware of the gravity of Vincent's wound disturbed Catherine deeply.
She pocketed the card, unwilling as she was to dismiss any avenue that could possibly help Vincent. "How did you know," she asked. "Did you bug him?"
"All you really need to know is we're watching in case of incidents just like this one. But in this instance, we hacked your own security cameras. Your father was also on our radar and he has been for some time."
This Catherine could believe.
"Catherine is everything alright," Heather called from the top of the stairs.
"Yeah," Catherine responded quickly, "it was just concerned neighbours -and they're leaving now." She added pointedly, staring at the two agents.
They took the hint. "We're leaving as per your wishes but remember we're far from done here...and do not hesitate to call on us if need be."
"We will see," Catherine replied somewhat dismissively. She then resolutely turned her back on them. "Tess, could you see those gentlemen to the door?"
"Glad to...What door is that?" Tess joked while already leading the two agents towards the destroyed French doors.
Catherine barely registered her partner's wry humour. She was boiling inside. Everything seemed once more to be coming at them from all corners. Worrying about her sister, Vincent and now those agents thrown in the mix, not to mention this new beast, it was eating at her.
"Catherine," Heather inquired anew.
"I'm coming up, Heather". Catherine didn't look forward to finishing their earlier conversation but she could see no way around it. "Coming," she repeated as she headed upstairs.