Sin City, The Rose City, the Windy City, Steel City, The Big Apple, Vincent Keller had seen them all. From one corner of the country to the next. He moved from city to city, state to state, always moving. All within the past five years. He thought New York would be enough to hide in, he was wrong. New York was too small for him to hide in, Muirfield had proven that. He'd been a fool to think that the truth of his existence had died with Silverfox. They came back, and they came hard. So he left and took to the states. Intentionally leading them from New York. But it wasn't enough. Standing on the top of Brookline Bridge as the sun fell over the city, Vincent felt like he was coming home.

He moved through the city quickly. Every block he took, every turn was like memories returning to him. He leapt from rooftops, the wind catching his long brown hair. Vincent ran through the city with only one direction in mind. He had to find Catherine Chandler. He hadn't said a word to her about leaving and with Muirfield back in the city, there was no doubt they would go after her to get to him. He needed to warn her.

Vincent landed on her roof and climbed down the fire escape. The room was dark and he couldn't hear anything from the inside. He looked into the window and found the room empty. The entire apartment was the same way. Empty and dark. Vincent felt his heart sink. He always knew it could be a possibility. After all, how many people would want a reminder of someone they lost every day? Still, this was the fastest way to find her.

He stood from the window and climbed back up to the roof. He needed to find Catherine, but not tonight. He would have to wait until morning. Until then, he needed to find the next person on his list; JT. And unless something had happened, Vincent had a good idea where to find his old roommate.

To his surprise, Vincent found the warehouse still standing. Nothing had changed since he'd been away. In fact, the warehouse actually looked better than he'd left it. He moved through the grounds, catching the new security system. He could hear the beeping of the cameras, the rotation of the lenses. The gravel crunched beneath his boots as he walked up to the door. He pulled out his key, one of the few things he'd taken with him. The key still matched the lock in the door. Vincent slipped inside and reset the lock. He walked through the warehouse, taking in the interior. The shelves were still standing, all loaded with their equipment. The equipment, however, was covered by sheets to protect them from dust. Vincent noticed a few other things. There was a corner of the room designated for a child. There was a small table and recliner with a few stuffed animals. Vincent arched his brow and started up the stairs.

JT was sitting at the table with his back to Vincent. He was working on his laptop. From the look he was preparing for his class. His head moved up and down from the screen to his pad of paper. He hadn't changed much in five years. His short hair was still curled with glasses.

"That ulcer ever heal up?" Vincent called.

JT turned fast and stood up. His chair fell to the floor with a loud crash. Vincent could hear JT's heart hammering away in his chest. "Vincent."

Vincent nodded. "How's it going JT?"

"Where the hell have you been?" JT asked.

Vincent chuckled to himself. "You might want a beer and sit down for that."

JT shrugged. "Fridge is still stocked."

Vincent nodded and walked to the fridge. He pulled out two cold ones and noticed the carton of juice. He closed the door and walked back to the table. He set both bottles in front of JT and sat down in one of the chairs. "Sorry I didn't tell you I was leaving, man." Vincent said. "It's just Muirfield hit hard and I didn't have time, I just had to act."

"I get. Trust me, Vincent, I get how it happens. I mean, I did spend nine years evading Muirfield with you." JT explained. He pulled off the top. "Five years, man. Where have you been?"

Vincent tilted his head. "More like, where haven't I been? After Muirfield's last attempt, I got out of the city. Dragged them across the states twice to keep them off you guys."

"So what brought you back?" JT asked.

"Muirfield." He answered. "They pulled back in Seattle. I tracked them back to New York yesterday."

"Why would they come back if you're not here?"

"I think they might go after you and Catherine again. Make me come to them, again." Vincent explained.

JT nodded and took a long drink from his beer. "So it's business as usual."

"Looks that way." Vincent took a look around the warehouse. "You know, I'm amazed this place is still standing. I thought it'd be condemned by now. You still seeing Sarah?"

JT shook his head. "Are you kidding? You couldn't even make a scratch on this place now. And yes, yes I am."

"Five years. Congrats, man." Vincent chuckled.

"Okay, I gotta ask, what is up with your hair?" JT said.

Vincent laughed and tugged at the pony. "Yeah, it's hard to stay still long enough for a haircut."

"You need one, badly." JT look down at his beer. "You stop by Catherine's yet?"

Vincent's smiled faded as he nodded. "Yeah. I stopped by her place but uh…it's empty."

JT nodded. "Yeah she moved out not long after you left. Said she couldn't take it, waiting by her fire escape for you."

"You keep in touch with her?" Vincent asked surprised.

JT shrugged. "After you left she needed some help a few times and gave me a call. She calls every few weeks to check in."

"You uh…you see her recently?"

JT nodded slowly. "Yeah, I have."

"She still working at the precinct?"

"Day shift."

Vincent nodded.

"Planning on following her?"

"I gotta tell her why I left. I owe her that much." Vincent explained.

"Before you go track her down, you need to know something Vincent." JT said.

Vincent looked over to JT.

"After you left, Catherine changed. I mean a lot. And a lot of people had questions" he explained. "You need to be very careful around her. It took her five years to get on good standing out there."

Vincent nodded. "In other words, don't screw up? Or stay away?"

JT shook his head. "Why would I say 'stay away' you never listened last time? Why would you listen now?"

Vincent snorted.

"It's good to have you back, man." JT said. He gave Vincent a hearty pat on the shoulder.

"Glad to be back."

okay...first chapter down. please note that this is my first BatB fic. and all will be explained in later chapters.