I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS. THEY BELONG TO THE CW NETWORK. THIS IS A WORK OF FANFICTION BY OMEGAPWHITE.

CASTLEVIEW MANOR

CATHERINE

Smoke slowly seeped from under the hood. Seconds later, the Mazda 626 came to an abrupt stop. Catherine hit the steering wheel in frustration. She had no idea where the heck she was and she had very little money. She grabbed her purse and suitcase on wheels and started walking. She prayed she didn't meet with some crazy stalker or worse, a killer, along the way. She was tired and hungry and worst of all, she was heartbroken.

Catherine grew up in a suburban neighborhood with both parents. Her life was ideal, until her parents divorced when she was sixteen and her world came crashing down. She started hanging with the wrong crowd and before she knew it, she was heartbroken and destitute.

The last boyfriend had left her for another woman and taken most of her savings with him. Catherine had to get away, so she had driven for days, until her car just completely stopped on her.

Catherine had walked almost a mile when she spotted a vehicle heading her way. It was an old green Ford pickup truck. The truck slowed and eventually stopped. A caucasian male rolled the window down.

"Howdy, ma'am, do you need a ride somewhere?"

"No, thank you, sir," Catherine said.

"I'm Deputy Warren, and I promise I won't bite," he said.

Her feet were hurting and she was tired and hungry, plus she didn't know if another car would come through anytime soon, so she decided to take her chances.

"May I see your badge."

"Sure."

Catherine checked it out and decided it looked genuine, so she hopped in the truck.

Deputy Warren was middle aged with a medium build and a receding hairline. He had a wedding ring on and he seemed like a nice guy.

"Hi, I'm Catherine, and my car stopped on me, about a mile down the road. Can you take me to the nearest repair shop?" she asked.

"Well, it's past business hours, so it's closed now," Deputy Warren said.

"Is there a resonable motel I can lodge in for tonight?" Catherine asked.

"I can take you to Castleview Manor, it's a bed and breakfast, and the closest thing to a motel round these parts. Vincent Keller runs it. His two brothers were killed in the 9/11 attacks and his parents died shortly threafter, so Vincent took over the place and has been running it ever since. He's a decent guy and it's pretty slow this time of year, so I'm sure he will give you a resonable rate."

"Okay, it seems I have no choice."

Ten minutes later, Deputy Warren pulled up to a skyblue wooden two-story house. Vibrant green hedges and beautiful flowers decorated the front of the house. Wind chimes hung from a nail by the screen door and several white Adirondack chairs lined the porch.

Deputy Warren rung the doorbell and a few minutes later a young guy opened the door.

Catherine was taken aback, because she didn't expect him to be close to her age. He couldn't be no more than thirty two. He was tall, handsome, and even with clothes on, Catherine could tell he had a nice body underneath.

"Hi, Vincent, this is Catherine, her car stopped on her down the road by the old cotton gin. She needs a reasonable place to stay for tonight," Deputy Warren said.

VINCENT

Vincent grew up in a small town. He went to college and was in the middle of medical school when his brothers were killed in the 9/11 attacks. His grief drove him to join the army and that decision turned his world upside down.

Vincent was engaged to his highschool sweetheart, but after returning home from Afghanistan, it was clear, he was a changed man. He broke it off with his fiancée and he became a loner. He went into town every week, but he kept everyone at an arm's length. He ran the bed and breakfast and surprisingly, did an excellent job. He was very handsome and women threw themselves at him, but it didn't faze him. He had a brick wall around his heart and no one would ever penetrate it.

Vincent stood in the doorway looking at Catherine and he was surprised at how pretty she was. Her eyes were brown and she had long brown hair. She had a small frame and her jeans showcased her curves. Something about her intrigued him and he hated it. He couldn't step outside his comfort zone, yet he was curious to know more about Catherine.

"Nice to meet you, Catherine, I can rent you a room for half price, since business is slow this time of year," Vincent said.

"Okay, that would be great and thanks for the lift, Deputy Warren," Catherine said.

Vincent escorted Catherine to a room upstairs and gave her some fresh towels. He told her breakfast would be served at nine in the morning and then he said goodnight.

CATHERINE

The room was really beautiful and a nice size. It was furnished with a queen size bed and a flat screen TV. The wallpaper was black and white damask with red accents around the room. The decorations were very chic for a small town. The en suite bathroom was immaculate and decorated to match the bedroom.

Catherine showered and grabbed a book to read, until sleep found her. Her thoughts kept drifting off to Vincent. She barely knew him, but she couldn't get him out of her head.

VINCENT

Vincent lay in bed just daydreaming about Catherine. He tried to block thoughts of her, but he couldn't. He kept telling himself she would be gone tomorrow and then he could go back to his normal life. Somehow he knew that wouldn't happen. Even if she stayed he had one big secret that would make it impossible for him to get close to her. He hated himself at that moment. It hadn't mattered in the past, but then he had never met a woman as pretty as Catherine before.