After The Tower - Balcony Rendezvous
By Thomas Mc
Catherine closed her apartment door then rested her head against it. Her mind had been in turmoil since lunch. Her father had guessed far more about her and Vincent than she had realized. Now she had promised to have them meet and she had no idea how she could go about getting Vincent and her dad together with out exposing the tunnel community. And what if her dad's reaction to the reality of Vincent didn't turn out as well as she hoped. The situation was so full of pitfalls. At least she had about two months before he said he would be free. She had time.
She pushed herself away from the door determined not to let herself get overwhelmed. As she turned around, she heard a familiar tapping at the balcony door. Her heart did somersaults as she nearly ran across the apartment to the balcony and threw the doors open. She threw her arms around Vincent's neck and stretched up to kiss him. He met her halfway and, as their lips touched, lightning passed through them both. After a short time he drew back and smiled down at her. She knew that this was as far as he would allow. Each time they kissed it was a little longer and just a little more passionate. Each kiss was still a tiny step forward in their relationship.
Vincent gazed down at this woman he had fallen in love with. "Your emotions have been in such turmoil today." It was a simple statement of fact. He always knew exactly what state her emotions were in. He had been feeling her emotions through their link all afternoon. They had been stronger than usual and he had waited impatiently for her to get home so he could see her. "Was it your lunch with your father?" Though he knew her emotions, he did not know her thoughts.
She laid her head on his chest. "Yes, he knows a lot more than I thought."
Vincent stroked her hair as he inhaled the smells that were uniquely hers. "Tell me."
"Dad knows that it was you that found me in the park after I was mugged." She pulled away and looked up at him. "He wants to meet you, get to know you without your costume." She placed her hand on his chest. Vincent could feel the worry in her. "I told him that I would arrange it."
Vincent tilted his head as he placed his hand over hers against his chest. "Are you worried about my reaction to a meeting or about how he will react to me?" He gave her hand a little squeeze and smiled. He wanted her to know that neither answer would bother him.
She looked down. "Maybe a little of both." Then she looked up into his eyes. "I want him to know the real you, to see what I see. I think he would accept you." She paused trying to decide how to phrase her answer. "But there is that tiny hint of doubt." She reached up to touch his cheek. "It's always been like that when I introduced him to a new boyfriend, but this time the stakes are enormous both for your world and for my own happiness." She hugged him close. "I would be devastated if he rejected you. I need him to understand and accept." She squeezed tightly. "I need both of you. I couldn't face having to choose."
She started to try drawing Vincent into her living room to talk but he took her hand and led her over to the patio furniture. As they both sat down, she sighed inwardly. She had gotten him to accept kissing but she still couldn't get him to come into her apartment. Well, one step at a time, and there was still the matter of her father.
Vincent kissed her hand and gazed into her eyes. "If this is what you want, then I will meet him and let him get to know the real me. Maybe we can get Peter to help."
Catherine brightened. "That is a possibility but first we would need to tell Peter. It's only been a few weeks since he found out that I was in on the secret. He still doesn't know about us." She thought for a moment. "There are other complications. Should we introduce him to the tunnels? And if we do, should we do it before or after he gets to know you? And what about Father? What will he think about us letting Dad in on the secret?" Catherine's nervousness was starting to run away with her mouth.
Vincent placed his finger on her lips. "We will just have to deal with each obstacle as we come to it." He sat back. "I will broach the subject with Father the first chance I get. How soon do you want to do this?"
"We have time. He will be very busy for the next couple of months, at least. By next month I should have a better idea when." She looked at him hopefully. "I was hoping we could arrange it for some time in February. Both of our schedules should be clear then and I want to have some time to prepare him ... and when you meet I want him to have enough time to really get to know you without the distractions of work."
"Then there's no hurry." Vincent smiled. "I admit that I would like to know your father better as well." He looked down at her hand as he took it into his then looked back up into her eyes. "I like very much what I've seen of him so far."
The rest of the evening was spent enjoying each other's company. When Vincent left to go back below, for the second time he initiated the goodnight kiss. This time it lasted for a long time and left her knees feeling like jell-o. The only thing that kept her upright as she watched him disappear from her balcony was the door jam she was leaning against.
Vincent knew the effect that last kiss had on Catherine. As he headed down into the tunnels he could feel the emotions still swirling in her. They were the mirror of the emotions she had produced in him. Their relationship had taken on the inevitability of a freight train. Though he was still plagued with innumerable doubts he didn't think he could stop it and he didn't really want to.
Continued in part 3
'Beauty and the Beast' and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.