AN: Wow… I am sososososososososo sorry I let this thing go so long.

I mean, ugh! I cannot believe it's been so long since I started this series, and I just up and forgot about this. I actually let this poor baby get left on the back burner. I hope all my readers can forgive me for letting this go unfinished for so long. Things kinda...No, no! Not gonna make excuses; I know what I did, and now gonna fix it.

This chapter just got so long, I needed to split it up, so it should be posted within the next day or so. I'm making this my top priority so updates shouldn't take a friggin year. Though this chapter required I go back to watch "China Moon" for editing purposes. Also, I went back and reedited the previous chapters, so if any of my first readers are rereading, then that's why it looks different. I hope you all enjoy, and hopefully, the overdue wait was worth it.

So at long, long, looooooooong last, the next chapter!


Chapter 3: Narrow Escape

Catherine struggled to the door, her legs feeling like rubber with each step. Her contractions had passed for now, but she was sure the next one wouldn't be too far along.

Only two things were on her mind: getting Below before the baby was born, and getting away from Jenny. She still couldn't believe she had actually run into her old best friend.

Under any other circumstances, Catherine might have been glad at the surprised reunion. To see Jenny had been so surprising, but for just a moment, Catherine was glad to see her. However, things were different. Jenny believed Catherine Chandler was dead and that was how it had to be.

Catherine sighed. She knew the risk when she made the choice. If anyone found out that Catherine Chandler was still alive, it would raise suspicion surrounding her disappearance. People would ask too many questions, ones she could never answer without exposing her family. Without exposing Vincent.

But once again, Fate was against her. Of all the possible things that could go wrong while she was Above, going into labor certainly hadn't been one of them. It was far too early for the baby to be born. Part of her wanted to believe it might be nothing, but it was hard to forget the familiar ache of labor pains.

Still, Catherine's current situation was nothing like her last birth. At least the first time, she had been in labor for hours. Even when Jacob and Rosie had been born, the contractions felt minutes apart, possibly seconds, though the actually labor lasted a few hours. The birth happened so fast, though luckily Rosie's surprise birth had saved her life. At least then Catherine had been able to escape. Now she had to do it again.

Vincent, this better not become a habit, she thought. She eased opened the door and looked around. No one was in the hallway, but Jenny could be back any moment. She needed a plan.

Okay, Catherine, think! How am I going to get out of here? She considered getting Joe.

If she told Joe what was going on, then he could get them safely out of the café without drawing too much attention. Then they could worry about the baby. Joe knew that her identity couldn't be revealed. Not only that, but with her contractions getting closer, it wouldn't be safe to go back to Tunnel Entrance in the Park. Perhaps she could suggests they go to Peter's house. At least there the baby could be safely delivered Above, and she would be able to get a message to Vincent.

Catherine quickly scratched that idea. Knowing she was too early from her due date, Joe would insist on taking her to a hospital. She needed another plan.

It was then Catherine remembered something. During the cab rid to the café, they had passed by Henry and Lin Pei's restaurant. Calculating the distance, it would only be about half a mile walk from here, so it wasn't like she would overexert herself. She had taken up walking with Vincent in the evening to keep in shape during her pregnancy. If her contractions could hold out long enough—and assuming her water didn't break—it was possible for her to walk to the Pei's restaurant and contact someone Below.

It was a long shot, but it was the only option she had at the moment.

Catherine stopped when she got to the end of the hallway. When she felt confident no contractions would come, she looked around the corner for any sign of Jenny. Her eye caught sight of her former friend as she frantically spoke to one of the waiters. No doubt they would send someone to check on her.

One of the waiters walked by. Catherine quickly followed beside him until he turned a corner. Lacking her shield, Catherine moved closer to the exit. She wanted to just walk out the door but worried someone might recognize her.

With a quick glance behind her, Catherine spotted Jenny and three other people move toward the bathrooms. They would soon discover she had left and begin looking for her. A pregnant woman in a plaid cardigan would be easy to spot. Ducking back into the hall, Catherine began looking for anything she could use to help her sneak out without arousing suspicion. Her eyes fell on the coat closet.

Moving closer, she opened the door and began to search through the coats. Her eyes landed on a long trench coat. She quickly switched coats and took a red baseball cap for good measure. She removed her wig and tucked her hair into the cap, shoving the hair piece into the pocket. She waited until another waiter brought out a plate of food and moved along with him until she was at the door.

Sorry Jenny, she silently whispered. She reached for the doorknob when another contraction hit. Catherine bit back a cry, her hand braced against the door.

"Excuse me, are you all right?"

Meanwhile, Jenny rushed from the ladies room. She was confused as her eyes met with that of the manager and two other employees. "I swear, she was in there a minute ago!"

"Ma'am, I understand, but clearly no one is there now."

"You don't understand! Something must've happened to her," Jenny insisted.

The manager shook his head. "Yes but for someone in that condition, it would be impossible–"

"I'm telling you, she was right here!"

The manager tried his best to calm her down. Her outbursts were beginning to cause a scene, and he worried about complaints from his other customers. "Miss, I must insist you compose yourself."

"I won't! There's a missing woman who's about to have a baby, and you're telling me to calm down?! Why you–"

"Excuse me, is there a problem?" They all looked up to see a man standing there.

The manager forced a pleasant smile. "Nothing to concern yourself with, sir," he said. "Just a minor misunderstanding.

"The hell it is!"

"Wait, Jenny?"

She looked up and was surprised when the second glance allowed her to recognize the man. "J-Joe? What are you doing here?"

"Having lunch with a…an old friend…" he quickly said. Joe had thought he spotted Jenny, but had dismissed it. Only now now that he was face-to-face with her did he being to worry. If Catherine knew that Jenny was here, she would stress about being discovered. That wouldn't be good for her and the baby. He needed to find her so they could have to leave. However, he couldn't draw attention to himself, so he tried to play as close to the truth as he could.

"Just catching up, you know? Well, she got up to use the restroom, but I got worried when she didn't come back. I just came over to see if she was alright."

Jenny's eyes widened with sudden dread. "She's not a blonde pregnant woman wearing a cardigan, is she?"

Joe panicked. "H-How did you know?"

"I just ran into her a few minutes ago," Jenny exclaimed, "but this moron won't believe me. I swear, I only left her for a moment to get help because she went into labor–"

"WHAT!?" Joe grabbed Jenny's shoulders. "Where is she?"

"I don't know! I just searched the restrooms and I can't find her anywhere."

"Jenny. Are you positive she was in labor?"

"Yes. I know what a woman in labor looks like," she snapped. "She was doubled over on the floor in pain with her hands pressed to her stomach."

"Are you sure it was actually labor?" Joe pressed. "It wasn't like that Braxton Hicks thing, or something?"

Jenny shook her head. "I can't say for sure, but I swear, her pains seemed to last about a minute or so."

Damn it! This is bad, Joe thought. Cathy's not due yet. If there's something wrong, I need to get her to a hospital. "Jenny, I need to know exactly what happened when you last saw her."

"I propped her up by the wall when I left to find the manager. I didn't think she could walk, but if she could, then maybe she didn't get far…"

"Get the hell away from me!"

The group turned toward the front of the café where the maître d' was struggling with one of the patrons.

"Let me go!"

"I'm sorry, but this coat doesn't belong to you, madame."

The woman twisted as the coat was pulled from her body, causing the maître d' to fall back. Her eyes briefly met Joe's and she panicked. "Sorry, grabbed the wrong one," she quickly apologized before running out the door.

"Damnit!" Joe hissed.

"Joe, wha–" Jenny didn't finish as Joe raced to the door. She followed after him, ignoring the commotion behind her. Once she was outside, Jenny found Joe in the middle of the sidewalk.

"What's going on?" she demanded.

"Red hat."

"What?"

"She was wearing a red hat," Joe stated. He couldn't believe he let Cathy slip away like that. He knew seeing Jenny must've spooked her, otherwise she would've come to him.

"Damn Cathy, why'd you have to run off!" He kept searching through the crowds but there was no sign of his former partner. He still couldn't figure out why she would run from him. She needed to get to a doctor.

Finally, he spotted a red baseball hat. "There!"

"Joe, wait!" Jenny watched as the District Attorney slipped into the crowd. She thought about going after him. Something wasn't right about what was happening, and she was intent on getting some answers.

"Jenny?" She turned as Nancy ran up to her. "Jenny, what's going on? The café is in an uproar about some strange woman. The attendant said she tried to steal my coat."

"I don't know, Nancy. One minute I'm trying to help her, and the next, I find out Joe's here and it just all went to hell."

"Joe? You mean Joe Maxwell?"

Jenny nodded. "The one and only."

"But what does Joe have to do with any of this?"

"I'm not sure. I only know that the woman is a friend of his and she's in labor."

"What?!" Nancy couldn't process. "But…"

"I think she must be a witness or tip Joe knows through the DA office," she explained. "She looked ready to have a panic attack when I mentioned an ambulance. She must think her cover will be blown or something if she goes to a hospital."

"That would explain this." Nancy held a wad of lightly colored hair. "I found this wig shoved into the pocket," she said. "Maybe Joe's on a case and she has to be in disguise?"

"No time to think about it now. We got to move."

"Why?"

"Cause I just spotted Joe's witness and that idiot went the wrong way!" Jenny took off for the other direction. She knew Nancy would follow right behind her, but she couldn't stop. She had seen the flash of red and recognized the woman. Jenny was sure she would have missed her if she had suddenly bent over a stop sign pole.

Another contraction, she thought. This kid's coming fast! "Hurry Nancy!"

Up ahead, Catherine struggled to breathe. The pain is getting worse as the contractions came closer together. Now they were almost ten minutes apart.

She placed one hand on her belly, gently pressing down. "Come on, sweetie. Just wait a little along her. We're almost there."

"Wait! Stop, please!"

Catherine felt cold. That voice. It couldn't be…

Catherine glanced over her shoulder to see Jenny getting closer to her position. She didn't have time to wait. She bit on the inside of her cheek and pushed on, trying her best to move through the crowds. There were more people out and about this time of day, but a few seemed to be parting to let her pass. She didn't dare look back again. It would only give Jenny the chance to catch up.

Finally, the restaurant was in sight. There had been renovations from when she first came to this place. She remembered coming here to talk with Henry. She had listened when he told her of the men who assaulted him because he wouldn't stay away from Lin, who had been promised to Peter Chang, the grandson of Chiang Lo Yi. Chiang had ties all over Chinatown, his family even had knowledge of the Tunnels, and had used over a hundred years ago. When Henry kills Peter during a fight, Chiang invades the Tunnels out of revenge.

Everyone Below worked together to push Chiang's army back, but in the end, Vincent went out alone to defeat them. The price took a heavy toll on Vincent, but with Chiang gone, Henry and Lin were able to marry and live the life they had always dreamed. Catherine was even asked to stand as Lin's bridesmaid. It was a beautiful ceremony.

Years had passed since then, though Catherine had learned that Henry had been able to buy the restaurant back from his childhood friend, Eddie. Eddie had been bought out by the men working for Lin's fiancé and had come to regret betraying their friendship.

Meanwhile, Lin had inherited the herbal shop after her grandfather's passing. Henry and Lin now operated both businesses, often helping each other out at both. The restaurant sometimes using herbs from the shop in some of their dishes.

Catherine had not seen her friends since the wedding, both having been busy running both businesses. She only wished this visit could have been under better circumstances.

Bringing herself back to the present, Catherine immersed herself with a tour group. She was able to hide herself behind a rather tall man. When she began moving her way toward the back of the group when they turned to go inside the returning. She quickly ducked into the alley, pressing herself against the wall. It was taking all her effort not to cry out as the contraction became more intense. She bit down on her fist, was for it to subside. She carefully peeked around the corner to see emerge Jenny from the crowd. She looked about and ran away from Catherine position. She waited another minute before moving back along the wall toward the service door.

When the contraction finally stopped, Catherine checked her surroundings. Peering through the screen of the door she could see the staff was busy with their work. If she was quiet, she could slip in without notice. Waiting another minute before she ducked inside.

Catherine panted as she leaned against the kitchen wall. She was exhausted. If Father knew she had run in her condition, he'd lecture her until all her kids were parents. She hadn't even been able to keep a proper position while she ran. Already her body was beginning to feel the loss of adrenaline. She needed to rest for a minute.

"Hey, you can't be in here!"

Catherine turned to find one of the cooks standing over at her. He was a larger man, streaks of gray in his black hair, and wearing a stained apron over a gray shirt. He held up a knife he'd been using to chop vegetables and pointed to the door. "You need to leave!"

"Please," she begged. "I know I shouldn't be here, but I need to see Henry or Lin Pei. It's an emergency."

The cook scowled but Catherine held her ground. He finally shook his head. "Alright, I'll get the boss," the cook replied, "but they'll tell you that you can't come in here."

"Please hurry!"

It felt like an eternity before Catherine saw Lin. She looked almost the same, though something was slightly different from the bride she met years ago. Her long hair was piled into a bun atop her head, and her face seemed a little fuller. Yet Catherine could still see the glow in Lin's eyes, the same she had seen when they drank tea together in her grandfather's herbal shop so long ago.

"Can I help you, Miss?" Lin asked, not recognizing her.

Catherine struggled. "Lin, I need to speak to you. Alone."

"Do I know you?"

Catherine motioned her closer before whispering, "It's been awhile."

Before Lin could reply, Catherine rubbed the left side of her face to reveal her scar. She watched Lin's eyes widened in shock. "Sorry I didn't visit you sooner."

"Catherine?" She nodded. "I can't believe it. What are you…"

"Lin, as much as I'd love to catch up, I need your help," she whispered. "I need to get Below."

Lin nodded, sensing the urgency in her voice. "There's no entrance here. We'll have to go to my grandfather's shop."

"Mrs. Pei, is everything alright?"

"Yes." She turned to address the cook. "This is an old friend of mine. I promised her a favor so I'm going out for a 're in charge until Henry comes back from lunch."

"But what about–"

"Just tell Henry I'll be back later and not to worry," she quickly whispered before escorting Catherine back out the side door into the alley.

The crowds had gotten heavier but the two women stuck closer inside the streets. Nothing went unnoticed in Chinatown, and Catherine had a hunch Joe would've put out an APB on her by now. Anyone could have spotted her in her mad dash. So they kept their heads down.

As they walked, Catherine took the chance to explain what was happening. She was immersed in the tale until they had to stop when another contraction hit. Lin had to catch Catherine before she could fall, though Catherine insisted they press on. To say Lin was shocked was an understatement. She never expected a woman to be doing what Catherine was doing now. Even Lin herself remembered being unable to move during her labor, and yet here Catherine was pushing on like a soldier. Luckily, it was short, and Catherine was able to recover enough to walk on her own. Lin kept one hand on her elbow just in case. Catherine was just at the end of the tale when they reached the herbal store.

"Just a bit further," Lin said as they walked inside. She quickly spoke to the clerk before taking Catherine to the back. There they walked down the stone steps into the large basement. Catherine took a moment to catch her breath while Lin moved aside the sink covering the secret entrance.

"Okay, we should be able to get a message to someone Below," she said. "By the time they get it, we can probably get about halfway. Think you can make it?"

"Just let me catch my breath. I haven't done this much running around since Rosie and I came to the Tunnels."

Lin laughed. "Just wait until this little one comes along," she added. "I'll have to bring my son down for playdates once he's over his cold. I feel awful that Henry and I haven't been able to visit. We've just been so busy between our business and the baby, we haven't had any time."

"I know. It'll be good to catch up on all-Aaaah!"

"Oh my goodness!" Lin rushed to Catherine's side. She eased her to the floor and let Catherine squeeze her hand until the pain passed.

"Another contraction?" Lin asked.

"Yeah. That was only five minutes apart." Cathy winced. "Lin, do you think there's any way I'll get Below?"

"Not like this. Your contractions are getting too close together. It looks like this baby is coming now!"

"I was afraid of that." Catherine laid her head against the wall. Lin squeezed her hand.

"Don't fret, Catherine," she said. "I'll get a message to the others. They won't be able to get here in time, but I can help you with delivering the baby."

"How?"

Lin laughed. "Lucky for you, I had a home birth when my son was born. My midwife insisted both Henry and I learn everything in case she was unable to be there herself."

"What about the restaurant?" Catherine asked. "And the clerk upstairs? Won't she get suspicious if she hears me screaming down here?"

"Henry can handle everything at the restaurant, and I told Julie to close up early," Lin said. "There's no one in the shop, and from down here no one should hear anything. But that's not important right now. You and this baby are top priority. Just work on your breathing while I attend to everything else."

Catherine gripped her hand, finally smiling. "Okay."

XXX

Vincent frantically paced his chamber. His mind wouldn't settle. The pain he felt was threatening to split his skull, indicating that the child was getting closer to being born. He needed to be there, at Catherine's side, not sitting around doing nothing!

What was taking so long? They should have found her by now. He wanted nothing more then to go to Catherine. He'd be damned if daylight would keep him from his love.

But Father had been persistent. He could do more harm by letting himself be exposed.

"Damn!" Vincent slammed his fists on the table. He couldn't believe he let this happen again! He had known without their Bond he would be helpless to find her until their child was born.

Everything had been thought out. Catherine should not have been due for another month, but even Father could not have predicted such an early delivery. Still, he should have known. He knew Catherine could not give birth Above. Even if the child was born like Jacob and Rosemary, it would still have Vincent's unique DNA. Catherine would not be able to explain the unusual genetic makeup. Worse, if anything went wrong or if there were complications that affected the baby's health, then there was risk of the medications being dangerous to the baby.

Vincent stopped. His hands balled into fists and he grit his teeth. Where are you, Catherine?

Suddenly, there was a message over the pipes. Vincent quickly tapped out for it to be repeated. He listened carefully.

Catherine found. Dr. Wong's shop. Baby coming. Send help. ASAP.

Vincent grabbed his cloak. The others would not be able to reach her in time. He knew the way. It took every ounce of strength he had, but he knew he had to reach her. Willing past the pain, Vincent ran. He ran as though the devil sent legions after him. But he would outrun them. He had a destination and nothing, nothing was going to stop him.

I'm coming Catherine.