A Mother's Diary
By Thomas Mc

Part 2 - Scars Of The Past

As Jenny sat in the chair opposite her stunned audience. She could see the same emotions playing across their faces that she had felt after she had first read these pages. She knew from the stories that Father had told her of finding Vincent that this story was probably an accurate account of the girl's experience. No matter what the results, she felt that they needed to know the truth about what happened in that alley that night. She just prayed that bringing this to them had been the right decision.

For a long time they all just sat there. The room was now so quiet the only sound to be heard was the breathing of four people. Catherine, Vincent and Father all had tears in their eyes. The emotional maelstrom whirling inside them plainly visible on each of their faces as they looked at each other.

Jenny had a lump in her throat and could feel tears welling up in her eyes again as she stared at her three friends. This was the third time Jenny had read these eight pages and the effect was just as powerful as the first time. She looked down at her hands which were shaking from the emotional impact of the pages they were holding. She could barely imagine what it must be like for Vincent, Catherine and Father who were far more personally involved in what those pages had to tell

Catherine was gripping Vincent's hand with a crushing strength that surprised him. Listening to the story on those pages had been an emotional roller coaster ride for her. Doubly so because she had been feeling Vincent's emotions as well as her own. The horror of what that young woman had endured had torn at her heart. Her blood had run cold when Jenny had finished the passage that described the woman's first sight of the newborn infant. She had felt the emotional shock of Vincent's realization that this was about his own birth.

Jacob was having difficulty getting his rapidly shifting mind to settle. Vincent's mother was alive? And living in the city? How would this effect Vincent? What should they do about it? What might have happened if he, John and Anna had arrived in that alley a few minutes sooner? What about the hell that poor woman went through? How would she feel about Vincent now? What will Vincent do? So many questions; so many possibilities.

Vincent was the first one to speak, determination in his eyes, his voice rough with emotion. "I have to meet her!"

Father spoke up, his voice just as rough as Vincent's, "Are you . . ." His voice broke, and he cleared his throat, "Are you sure that's what you want?" He cleared his throat again. "This is going to be an extremely emotional event both for you and for her." He fixed Vincent with his gaze. "Are you sure you're ready for that?"

"Yes." There was a firm conviction in Vincent's voice, though Catherine could clearly sense a tiny seed of doubt in him.

Finally Catherine spoke as she stared at Vincent, "I think they should meet." She too was having trouble keeping her voice under control and stopped to clear her throat. "I think they must meet." She turned to Jenny who's intuition and judgment about people, she had long ago learned to trust. "Jenny, what do you think? Is this feasible? Is it advisable?" Suddenly the questions just started pouring out of her, beyond her control. "And what about Dennis? What type of person is he? Shouldn't he be included? Can he accept someone like Vincent? Does his mother know that Dennis had those?" She pointed to the pages in Jenny's hand as she finally reigned herself in and shut-up.

"I've known Dennis ever since he came to work for me. He is one of the sweetest people I know next to Vincent. In fact after reading this," Jenny handed the pages to Vincent who took them and held them as though they were a very rare, very precious first edition book. "I think I now know where Vincent's gentle nature comes from. He's the type of unflappable person that tends to take everything in stride and I don't think he would have too much trouble accepting Vincent." She paused, "I don't believe his mother knows that he has those pages and he still thinks it's just some fantasy story that she wrote when she was younger." Jenny thought for a moment, "I think you should all be there to meet them both. Father how do you feel about introducing both of them to you, Cathy and Vincent?"

Jacob thought about it for a couple of very long seconds, while glancing at the pages in Vincent's hands and the look in his adopted son's eyes, before he spoke. "I know that there is a great risk of exposure and terrible emotional harm if this should go badly," He paused to consider his next words, then cleared his throat, looking up at Jenny. "but I think you're right, they should both be there when we meet. The additional emotional support they would provide each other could be invaluable. If this goes well, a lot of old wounds could be healed . . ." He looked over at Vincent. ". . . for both of them."

Vincent looked over at an elegant clock on the fireplace mantle then spoke up, "It's only a little before eight o'clock. Do you think you could arrange a meeting tonight?" The expression on his face showed that he was hoping the answer would be yes.

Jenny thought for a moment. "I think it can be arranged." She looked at Vincent. "Where would you want to meet? Maybe some neutral location like at my place?"

It was Catherine that answered, looking at Vincent and Jacob as she spoke. "No . . . I think if we are going to do this, we should go the whole way. I think we should meet here. And if everything goes well and Father approves, maybe we can take them Below and show them where Vincent grew up. If it goes badly we can seal up our tunnel access and Vincent and the twins can disappear for a while 'til things sort themselves out." She now looked to Jacob to gauge his response. "I know it's a big risk, but I think it's the right thing to do, Father."

Jacob looked down at the pages in Vincent's hands, up to Vincent's face, then back to Catherine, "I think Catherine is right. That would probably be the best way to handle this." He paused a beat, "By the way what is her name? You haven't said."

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Jenny broke into a big grin. "Her name is Jennifer. Can I use your phone?" Jenny chuckled as she went over to the phone while Vincent, Jacob and Catherine just stared at each other, stunned. When Vincent was very young he had created an imaginary mother for himself and named her Jennifer. That had been why they had chosen Jennifer as their daughter's name.

Jenny picked up the phone and, after consulting a piece of paper, dialed a number.

"Hello, Dennis. It's Jenny." . . .

"Yes, I showed it to some people I know and they are very interested in talking to you and your mother tonight." . . .

"If at all possible, yes." . . .

"If I come by in an hour, could you both be ready to come with me to meet them?" . . .

"Yes, I do. I think this could be very important to both of you." . . .

"Good. I'll see you in an hour." . . .

"You don't need to worry about that. Just tell her." . . .

"I don't think you'll regret this." . . .

"Bye."

Jenny hung up then immediately called for a taxi.

After a short discussion on how best to stage manage the upcoming meeting, the taxi showed up and Jenny left. While she was gone Catherine and Jacob fidgeted around the house trying to get ready. Vincent just sat there, flipping through the pages, reading and touching them as though trying to reassure himself that they were real. A couple of times Catherine went over and gently touched him projecting her love and support over their link. She knew how much this meant to him. So many questions that had plagued him all his life had just been answered by these pages and hopefully his long lost mother would soon be here to fill in the rest.

After about an hour Catherine began to sense an uneasiness in Vincent that seemed to be growing. As she was coming over to see what was bothering him, he jumped up and started pacing. "Vincent, are you OK?" He didn't seem to have heard her as he continued to pace, getting more agitated by the second. Catherine could clearly feel both anxiety and anger growing rapidly inside him. She raised her voice to try to get through to him. "Vincent, What's wrong?" He continued to pace. Finally she got his attention by the simple expedient of blocking his path. "Vincent, talk to me! What's wrong?"

Vincent shifted back and forth on his feet a few times. He seemed unable to look at her. Finally he began talking. "This was a mistake." He resumed his pacing. "How can she look at me with anything but revulsion after what that monster, Julian did to her. I'm nothing more than the product of that evil man's designs, forced on her against her will."

Jacob felt suddenly in over his head. It had been years since he had seen Vincent this upset over his uniqueness and Jacob found himself uncertain what he should say. It had always hurt him to see his adopted son like this but in this case Vincent had only given voice to the same doubts that had begun to echo within his own mind. He fell back on the same old phrases he had used before. "Vincent, it doesn't matter how you came to be." Jacob stated, trying to calm and reassure him. "It's who you are, who you have become that counts."

Vincent stopped and stared at Jacob. "And what am I? You heard what she wrote. 'I got my first look at IT. A shiver ran through me that had nothing to do with the cold and I cried out as I finally realized what that evil man had done to me.' … Look at me." He threw the pages down, scattering them across the floor. "How can we do this to that woman! One look …" Vincent's voice cracked. He paused looking down at Catherine as she was on her knees collecting the pages from the floor. "One look at me will just remind her of what happened to her. How can we bring all that pain back to her." He dropped his head and his voice as Catherine stood up. "It would be better to let her continue to think I died in that alley."

Vincent suddenly looked up in surprised, as he was hit by an almost incandescent flair of anger coming from Catherine. "Yes, I heard what she wrote but apparently you didn't." Catherine slammed the pages into his chest with a force that rocked him causing him to grab them reflexively. As he stared at her in astonishment she began to read from the page that she was still holding in her other hand. "For a long time, I just sat there holding my dead baby in my arms and cried. "… The flash of anger was gone and had been replaced by a sense of sorrow and loss as she continued to read. "Even today, a feeling of profound loss overcomes me whenever I think about that lost child of mine." She looked up into his eyes. "She loved you, Vincent, regardless of how you looked. She cried over you. Even much later when she wrote this," Catherine waved the page she was holding, "she still missed you and regretted your loss." There were now tears in Catherine's eyes. "You were the one good thing that came out of that terrible ordeal." She gently placed the page she held in his stunned, nerveless hands. "Don't rob her of the chance to get back the one thing that she regrets losing that night." Catherine placed her hand on his arm. "Don't rob our children of the chance to know their grandmother." Her love was now flowing over him like the tide through their bond. "At least give her a chance. Based on what I read and heard, seeing you may just heal an ache that has haunted her for thirty-five years. You owe her this much." She put her arms around him. "And you need this just as much as I think she does. You need it to finally put those doubts and fears, that have always plagued you, to rest."

Jacob stared at Catherine in stunned amazement.

Vincent put his arms around her, almost without realizing it. "You're right. … I'm sorry, Catherine. You have shown me many times that I have nothing to be ashamed of … but sometimes the old fears can still haunt me." He lay his cheek against the top of her head. "I love you so much. You remind me of how much I do have."

"I know, Love." She responded softly. "That's why I'm here. To keep reminding you." Then she chuckled wickedly. "And because you're so damn good in bed."

"Catherine!" Vincent's face turned bright red, even through his fur.

Jacob belatedly smothered a chuckle as he observed, first hand, a phenomenon he had only recently heard about. Vincent could blush. His admiration for this incredible woman that his son had married overwhelmed him as he realized how perfectly she had handled Vincent's bout of self doubt. Once again she had gotten Vincent through a crises as only she could. Then it occurred to him that Catherine's words had been meant for him, as well as Vincent. Once again, as had become a habit recently, he blessed the day that Vincent found her.

Catherine breathed a sigh of relief. It had been close. Despite her best efforts there were some old scar's that were still not completely healed. She had been half expecting this outburst since she first heard the lines that had set him off but she had almost forgotten about it in the excitement of the moment. His explosion had caught her off guard. Fortunately, she had already latched on to the other lines that she had used as rebuttal and her own anger had carried her through. Hopefully, if this reunion went well, that particular scar might finally be healed.

~ o ~

Jennifer McCormick was very agitated by the time her son's friend Jenny arrived. Dennis had told her about finding the diary pages and giving them to Jenny nearly an hour ago. After all these years her past was catching up to her. She had thought that the diary had been destroyed years ago, right after Dennis was born, and the idea that part of it was still around and in someone else's hands terrified her. The uncertainty that she felt because she didn't even know which pages had survived or what information might be on them only made it worse. If those pages fell into the wrong hands it could be disastrous for both her and for Dennis. And how could she possibly explain to her son why those pages were so dangerous. What would Dennis think of her if he did find out the truth of what happened back then and what she had done? Would he even understand why she had left her dead baby behind in a pile of garbage to save herself? To this day there was still a large slice of shame mixed in with the profound sense of loss she felt whenever she thought of that night. It was too late to do anything about it now. All she could do was to keep her anxiety under control, try to keep her wits about her and hope for the best. Maybe it was still possible to prevent the story from being published. Julian was dead but his son Gabriel was probably still around somewhere so there were still people out there that would kill her and possibly kill Dennis.

Jennifer didn't feel particularly reassured when they pulled up in front of an elegant and very expensive brownstone that faced the park. Only someone with a lot of wealth and influence could live in a place like this.

Jenny spoke up. "There's nothing to worry about, Mrs. McCormick." She got out of the taxi then poked her head in through the opened car door. "These people are very close friends of mine and I know that they would never harm you."

Reluctantly, Jennifer got out of the taxi, wondering how this woman could know about her fears. Nervously, she followed Jenny across the street towards the grand old brownstone. Her son was walking beside her totally unaware of the danger they were in. They were halfway across the street when her anxiety level went through the roof. She had noticed a black sedan, with four men in it, pull up and park less than thirty feet away. The appearance of that car took her back thirty-five years. Suddenly, she felt like that scared teenager again, but it was too late to turn back. With their taxi leaving and those men now sitting out front, it would probably be futile to try making a break now. She could almost feel the menace radiating from that black sedan. She would just have to wait until the right opportunity presented itself.

Jennifer grabbed Jenny's sleeve and stopped them in the middle of the road then she hissed urgently to Dennis and Jenny. "Listen to me very carefully. If I say run, don't wait, don't ask questions, and don't worry about me. Just run away as far and as fast as you can into the park. After you get away don't go home, just find a place of safety where no one will think to look for you, including me. Don't come out of hiding, no matter what, until you are positive no one is looking for you." Then she continued walking towards the brownstone.

Jenny had just noticed the black sedan drive up and was beginning to worry about it when she was distracted by Jennifer's unexpected warning. She thought she understood why and, with a look of sympathetic understanding in her eyes, Jenny tried to reassure Jennifer. "No one here means you any harm, believe me. In fact, by the time this night is over, I believe you will be very happy that you came."

Jennifer believed that Jenny was sincere, but that car with the four men filled her with dread.

Dennis looked at is mother in shocked surprise. The look in her eyes had sent a chill up his spine. This was not the kind of reaction he had expected. He had noticed that she had been unusually quiet all the way over here and now this ominous warning. In fact he now realized that she had been acting strange ever since he had told her about the diary pages a little over an hour ago. She wasn't just nervous or worried, she had looked positively terrified. Now that he thought about it, Jenny had also acted very odd and distracted after reading those pages. There was definitely a lot more going on here than he had realized, and somehow it all seemed to revolve around those diary pages. What he couldn't understand was how a silly little piece of a fantasy thriller story written in his mother's youth could be having such a profound effect.

As they walked the rest of the way, across the street to the brownstone Jennifer steeled herself for action. If necessary she would somehow delay them long enough for her son and Jenny to make an escape. She would just have to wait for her chance, like the last time, and hope they got a lucky break.

When they reached the bottom of the steps the front door opened. As they ascended the steps they were greeted by a very beautiful, elegantly dressed woman that appeared to be in her early thirties. Jennifer thought that there was something very familiar about her. The woman had a pleasant voice and a kind manner as she greeted them. "Hello, Jennifer, Dennis. Welcome to my home. My name is Catherine Chandler-Wells. I am so pleased to meet you both. Please come in."

Jenny caught the addition of Wells to Catherine's name when introducing herself and smiled. This was the first time she had heard Cathy introduce herself that way.

Both Dennis and Jennifer recognized the woman, at the same time, as the wealthy heiress Catherine Chandler. She had been in the papers recently for being involved in the prosecution of several high profile criminal cases. She had also recently become known for her philanthropic endeavors, including the newly created Wells-Chandler Foundation. There had also been something in the papers a month ago about a new daughter.

They also remembered reading about when she had disappeared so mysteriously for ten days before showing up all cut up and badly beaten, several years ago. The newspapers had been full of the story for weeks. There had been a great deal of speculation about who could have found and cared for her during those missing ten days.

Dennis now remembered that Jenny's best friend supposedly worked for the District Attorney. He kept wondering what all this had to do with his mother and those cursed pages he had found. Nighttime meetings with someone from the district attorney's office and his mother absolutely terrified for their safety? What exactly was going on here?

Jennifer was now very confused. What could a wealthy socialite or possibly someone from the District Attorney's office have to do with this. She remembered that Julian had mentioned an inside man at the DA's office, but that was so long ago and she had no idea how much of Julian's organization might have survived over the last thirty-five years. Regardless she had the feeling that this woman was someone she could trust and her intuition had never led her wrong.

As they entered, Jennifer noticed an elderly man, dressed like a common street person, leaning on a cane and looking so incongruous standing in the center of such an elegantly furnished living room. Behind him the view was dominated by a magnificent spiral staircase. On the low coffee table in front of the old man she recognized the torn pages from her old journal that had caused all this trouble. There was also something vaguely familiar about that old man but she couldn't quite place him. She found it disconcerting the way he was staring at her so intently as they entered. He seemed to be studying her, judging her but she could see no hostility or malice in his look. She knew she had become the center of attention and she could sense some wariness but as of yet she didn't feel any real threat. She had always been very perceptive about other people and over the years, since that disaster with Julian, she had learned to trust her instincts. She remembered how Bill had been convinced that she could read other peoples emotions.

The first thought that went through Jacob's mind was that the woman was so small. She couldn't be much over five feet tall. When they were all inside and the door closed the man introduced himself. "Hello Mrs. McCormick, I'm so pleased to meet you. My name is Jacob Wells. Please come in and sit down." He paused as Catherine escorted them both towards the table where the pages rested.

Dennis looked in surprise at the older man. Wells? She had called herself 'Chandler-Wells'. He glanced at the rather simple silver ring on her finger. Was this the unidentified father of Catherine's new baby.

As Jennifer stared down at the pages anxiously, Jacob continued. "I think the last time we crossed paths was around thirty-five years ago." Jennifer looked up startled. "I was with a friend of mine named John and his wife Anna." Jennifer noticed that a momentary look of pain crossed the old man's face as he spoke those two names. "But we were not aware of your presence in that alley at that time." He gestured towards the old diary pages. "That was you in that story, wasn't it?" He was gazing at her with an intensity that was disconcerting.

She Looked more closely at the older man, 'Jacob', she corrected herself. Though he looked much older now, she definitely recognized him from that night in the alley and tears began to form in her eyes as she remembered her lost child. Her legs went weak and she abruptly sat down in the chair that Catherine had fortunately shifted over behind her. With a feeling hovering between wonder and dread, she finally responded. "I do remember you." There was a long pause as she dredged up memories of that terrible night of fear, pain and flight. "I remember. You were in the alley with those two others that night." She took a deep shuddering breath and nodded. "Yes, that was me."

Dennis was looking back and forth in shock between his mother and the old man. They were saying that the story in those diary pages was true? Then all that was implied hit him. A dead monster baby abandoned in a dark alley! His mother desperately running for her life from some fiendish horror named Julian! His whole world view had suddenly been turned upside down. He looked down at the pages on the table. And now thirty-five years later it was all coming back to haunt her just because he had found those damned diary pages. He glanced over at Catherine. What did the D.A. have to do with this? Surely they wouldn't charge his mother for something she did thirty-five years ago when she was running for her life. Catherine came up to him and gently urged him over to a chair by his mother. Slowly he reached down and took his mothers hand and gave it a squeeze to reassure her. She looked up at him in gratitude for his understanding and support.

Meanwhile Catherine and Jenny joined Jacob and they all sat on the sofa opposite Dennis and Jennifer. Then Jacob continued speaking. "To begin with, Anna, the woman you saw with us, heard a weak cry and, while investigating it, found your baby where you had hidden it beside the dumpster." Jacob reached across the low table and took Jennifer's free hand, that had been slowly creeping towards the pages, giving it a gentle squeeze. "The infant was still just barely alive but he was fading fast. His breathing was so shallow that it's not surprising that you thought he was already dead. We took the baby with us to a special place of safety. It wasn't easy but we were able to save his life and I raised him as though he was my own son." Jacob paused and gave her hand another squeeze. "Jennifer, he survived and he has grown up to happy and healthy manhood."

Dennis sat down heavily in the chair Catherine had positioned behind him. Stunned, he looked over at his mother and he saw tears running down her cheeks. He felt like he had just wandered out of the real world and into one of those fantastic fantasy stories that he dealt with all the time at work.

At this point Catherine took up the narrative. "Since they found him behind St. Vincent Hospital, they named him Vincent." Catherine took a deep breath and a sparkle appeared in her eyes. "Since you are apparently Vincent's mother, I guess that makes you my mother-in-law." Then into the stunned silence she called out, "Vincent, I think you can come down now."

All of the evening's revelations finally hit Jennifer all at once like a ton of bricks. Her baby was alive! And he was married to Catherine Chandler?

Dennis was staring, stunned at Catherine. The creature in the story was real, alive, and married to her!

Seeing the stunned look on Jennifer's face, Catherine came around, sat on the arm of her chair, taking the hand that Jacob had just released and gave it a gentle reassuring pat. There were now tears forming in Catherine's eyes again as well while she looked down at this woman she had just met. Over their link Catherine could also feel the emotions swirling through Vincent's mind.

Then everyone's attention was drawn to the sound of boots coming down the stairs. The first impression Jennifer and Dennis had was of great power and grace. Then the hands came into view on the stair handrails. They were covered in golden fur with long sharp claws clearly visible on the ends of his fingers.

Dennis also noticed the silver band on his fur covered finger that matched the one on Catherine. He could no longer deny the realization that it was all true. Even the more fantastic aspects of the story. The proof was coming down the stairs right there before him.

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.