First of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH: bonesbemmettlover medwards245, russetfurbr,BritCroft,ccrumbcake24, paulettetn,medwards245,amy2k6, E.B. Cameron, Kara Lang, Guest and Anne. I loved you reviews and i promise that everything will make sense in the end.

Also a HUGE THANKS for those who put this story on alert or favorite and the litlle ghosts out there.

English is not my first language, so any typo or grammar mistakes (I don't use google), please let me know. Beauty & the Beast doesn't belong to me if does i would love to see my three favorite men on televison together in the show. Jensen Ackles, James Lafferty and Jay Ryan... Well, a girl can dream lol.


True friendship is never serene.(Mariede Svign)

Vincent's POV

"So, anything you two would like to share?" Catherine asked. Nathan and I were facing each other… We met in Afghanistan…so many years ago. I look at her, I know we have so much to talk but Heather is here and she is talking outside with Darius, apparently, he needs to be in somewhere else. I gave Catherine the flowers and she looked at me confused; asking with her eyes how I knew freesias are her favorite flowers. I give her a look and I could swear I saw a smile appearing on her face when she finally understood. I've been watching over her for years, I learned a lot of things about her. We were lost in that moment, but soon Nathan woke us up.

"Heather is outside, Cat. We have to wait until she is not here." Nathan said and smiled to me. He walked towards the balcony and grabbed a beer. "You still drink, Vincent?"

I shook my head and he took a sip of his drink. In the meantime Heather arrived and introduced Darius to us.

"So, this is Nathan Scott, Catherine's best friend and this is Vincent Zalaski, Catherine's…"

She looked at Catherine but I completed "Boyfriend"

We shake hands and Heather almost dragged Catherine to their room. Nathan moved around the apartment like he was the owner. "So, would you like a beer?" He offered to Darius.

"Thank you, but no. I'm really sorry I have to leave with Heather, I finally found a partner for my club and he and his wife wants to meet us now."

Nathan nodded and put the bottle on the table "Just a warning, Mister Bishop. Heather is like a little sister, so you are going to take her to this dinner and then you are going to break up with her. Are we clear?"

I looked at both of them in disbelief, what the hell was happening?"

"And why is that?" Darius asked and came closer to Nathan, things were about to get ugly.

"Easy, guys. I believe we can talk about this in a friendly way." I said and got in the middle of them. I guess it was not a good idea since if they start a fight I might turn.

Nathan laughed and gave a step back "You don't have money and sooner or later, you will have to pay your loan shark friend and I don't want Heather in the middle of the gun fire. You are weak, Darius. You pretend to be something you are not. So, this will be the last night you and Heather are together or your big bother will learn what a failure his baby brother is."

Darius gasped and if I was confused before I was even more now. Supposedly Nathan arrived in the country today, so how he knows about all that?

Heather arrived with her purse and apologized for leaving us. Nathan and I said we understood and I could tell Catherine noticed something was even more wrong. She could feel the tense in the room.

As soon as Heather and Darius closed the door behind them, Catherine crossed her arms in her chest "I'm waiting!"

I sighed "We met in Kabul." I said and Catherine's moth drooped.

"No, you weren't in Afghanistan" She pointed at Nathan.

He took a deep breath "Do you remember that course that your mother offered to me?"

"That was in England!" she said pacing around the room.

"Your mother invited me to be her assistant."

"This can't be real! You worked for Muirfield?"

"For a couple of months, but before things got bad, Vanessa sent me back. Listen; when your mother came back she felt so guilty about what happened that she was working nonstop to find a cure."

"That's why you were the only person that didn't think I was crazy, when I said a beast had saved me." Catherine said and stopped to walk to face us "You knew it was Vincent?"

"No. I was suspicious that one soldier had saved you, but after they find cross species DNA in the bodies, I was sure one of the soldiers was alive. So, I finally understood why Vanessa was so determined to find that cure, somehow she knew Vincent survived."

I was speechless I don't remember how exactly I escaped. I really don't remember how I got back to the country. I looked at Catherine. "Maybe your mother helped me."

"Wait a second, you don't know?" Nathan asked and I shook my head "I almost have no memories from my time in combat. We think Muirfield has something to do with it."

Catherine took a deep breath and sat on the couch "I'm going to ask just once, did you knew Muirfield killed my mother?"

When Nathan didn't respond we all knew the answer, Catherine was holding her tears. "You knew how guilty I felt, you knew how broken I was and you couldn't end up with my misery?"

"Catherine I didn't want to put you in the middle of it all. The same reason you didn't tell me about Vincent, I couldn't…"

"THAT IS DIFFERENT!" Catherine screamed and punched his face. "You were here every single day, you knew about the nightmares. You just like my father could have helped me, but the truth is…you weren't worried about me, you were worried about yourself."

Nathan wiped the blood from his mouth with his hand "I know you are mad, and I get it, but…"

"Why are you here?" It was my time to ask. And when Nathan faces me, I could see the anger in his eyes. "What have you done all these years?

"That opportunity in Asia, I've been working with some people, people like us that Muirfield destroyed their lives. Muirfield never stop those experiments, they have just been more careful.

"What?" Catherine and I asked together.

"But I swear, I didn't know about you and Vincent until Alex told Clair about you?"

I stood up. "Alex told me that she never said Catherine's name."

Nathan gave a fake laugh "And you believed in her? Well my friend, thank God we've after Clair for some quite time. She has been working for Muirfield for almost 8 or 9 years, she was a bigger part of our plan to find proves about Muirfield, so, when I learned that Alex was their target I came back to the country. I cloned Clair's phone, so when she thought she was talking with her superior; actually she was talking with me."

I didn't even dare to look at Catherine, but I could feel her eyes on me. I was feeling, I was scared... Catherine could be dead by now, and it would me my fault.

"Where is she?" Catherine asked and I was confused if she was talking about Alex or Clair.

"After you, Vincent and Alex left the hotel, we took Clair. At this time she is way out of town, the guys will interrogate her. And Alex, well, she is almost out of the country. She followed the plan you made for her."

I put my hands on my face, when I thought all of our problems were I make Catherine believe in my feelings for her…

Catherine grabbed her coat and her gun "I need to breathe"

"Catherine!" Nathan and I screamed her name but it was useless

"I'm going after her." I said to him but before I reach the door, Nathan said.

"She needs some time", I sighed, he was right. And well I still had some questions for him. "Why you start to hunt Muirfield, this is not just about Catherine and her mother."

Nathan sighed "I guess you already know, Vincent. You know what happened the day Lafferty got into that state fugue."

"Are you saying…?"

"Yes, but we can't tell Catherine yet. She doesn't need another reason to hate her mother."

I agreed. Catherine already had enough problems to deal with "You know her too well, right?"

Nathan nodded "I was a wreck when I left her. She needed me, I was the only one she opened herself, but I had no choice Vincent. I know I'm partial responsible for the woman she became. She had to deal with the most difficult moments on her own. There are so many things I still have to tell her…Listen I continued Vanessa's work, I don't have a cure yet, but…we created some pills that stop the transformation for a few hours. Maybe we can help you."

"That's how you…" Inside I was thrilled, but I stopped myself. I've been through all of this before. I wouldn't let my hopes get too high.

"Yeah", Nathan interrupted. "I'm not your enemy, Vincent. All I want is to make all of us free. You have no idea the damage Muirfield has done. What they did to us is horrible, but they've doing this to kids…babies."

"I had no idea." I responded shocked "If you need anything, I'm ready to help."

"I just need you to take care of Catherine, and stop been such an ass, just you to choose Alex over her."

"I guess you heard about that." I said ashamed "I was so scared about the intense feelings I have for her…"

"That's not good enough. I know she loves you and I can tell you love her too, but after everything she has been through, love won't be enough. And I probably just have made things worst between you two. All people that she truly care, love and trust let her down."

"I know what you mean." I took a deep breath.

"So, you never told her." Nathan looked at me confused so I continued "When we were in Kabul you always talk about this girl you were in love with. That was Catherine, right?"

He shook his head, "Catherine is like a sister, Vincent. She always was and always will be." I was shocked after I saw them earlier today I was sure the girl he wouldn't stop talking years ago was Catherine.

"Who was she then?"

He sighed "Someone who thanks to Muirfield is no longer between us."

I nodded in understanding "I'm going to look for her. It's late and…"

"You are going to find her in Central park. There is this place she used to go when she fought with someone." He said to me and I smiled.

"You know Catherine, but I end up knowing her too. And I'm pretty sure she is not there."

"I will be here when she comes back, Heather will have a broken heart and she will need a shoulder to cry."

"Speaking of…how did you knew about Darius?"

"Before I came back we gave a look of all people Catherine and Heather were involved too. I look at Darius' financial, he open a dance club without knowing funds…I just put one and one together. Darius will get himself killed and its better if Heather was far away from him."

"You are a good friend for them. I'll give you that." Honestly I don't have any reason to hate the guy; he was doing what I did years ago.

"Well I'm going to heat the food, I guess I'm the only one eating."

I laughed and before I left I turned around and said "Oh and I know you didn't do that for me, but you saved Catherine's life. Thank you."

Nathan smiled "You're welcome."

Catherine's POV

I drove to nowhere, at least I thought so. How many times I have to go through this? How many secrets we still have out there? My mom, Nathan who else worked for Muirfield, at this time I only could think about my father. He said that he was afraid that if I learned more I wouldn't recognize my mother. He was so damn right. I stopped the car and I took a deep breath, I was in the same place my mom was shot nine years ago. I remember that day like it was yesterday…Those men, the shooting. They were going to kill me too. Why they didn't try later? That was still a question I had no answer. I lost track of the time when I noticed someone knocking in my window, I didn't need to turn my face, silly me to think he wasn't going to come after me.

I open the door "How you always find me?" I murmured but he was able to hear

"I never stop looking. Besides, when you are sad or angry, you always come here."

"Maybe you should. We can't fool ourselves Vincent, we will never work out. You were right, be with me is wrong." I said without looking at him, but I knew he was holding his breath. "I just put you in danger, I don't know if Nathan was telling the truth and…" I shook my head, trying to control my emotions "You have to stop looking after you, I own you, not the other way around. I won't tell anyone about the warehouse, but I think it's better if you and JT find another place. I promise I won't bother you anymore."

I said all at once; don't give time for him to interrupt me.

"You're done?" he murmured to me "I know how end up looking like Alex was a better choice, and I know I hurt you, but please don't act like what I feel for you it's not true. Please, don't act like I don't love you. Because I do. I was so scared Catherine…So scared about how intense my feelings are for you."

I looked at him, he said he loved me but unfortunately that didn't solve anything. "Yeah, I do love you too, Vincent. But love is not enough."

"Do you want to know what I think about when I imagine myself happy?" He murmured to me and took my hands to his. I thought about pulling away, but I simply didn't have the strength. "I don't imagine myself cured or free for Muirfield, I just imagine myself with you. All the time I was with Alex, i wasn't happy Catherine. I knew I would never be."

"Vincent, stop it. Maybe all you are saying is true, but if Alex had accepted you, you and she would be far away from here. And that probably would be for the best. You keep saying that I wasn't your second choice, but you just realized you wanted to be with me AFTER Alex dumped you, after SHE said she couldn't handle and didn't want to go away with you."

"Catherine…" he murmured and for the first time I saw tears in his eyes.

"I know I'm not being fair to you, it's just I have to protect myself for the battle I have to face. Nathan is not telling me everything and for him to tell me all those things…"

"If we are together we can overcome anything." Vincent said "We are stronger together then when we were apart. I know it will sound selfish but the best day of my life was the day you walked up those stairs and figure out who I was. I know I screw up, and you don't trust me, but today you said you love me too and I can and I won't give up on us Catherine. I want to be with you and I will fight for you, even if it is with you I have to fight."

I took a deep breath "Vincent, please don't make this harder…" I don't know what happened because the next thing I knew Vincent was kissing me."

My head said pull away, but my heart said pull him closer, for that moment I let my heart won, but I knew that kiss wouldn't change anything.


So, what do you thing? I'm sorry i didn't update on Saturday, but here is a new and long chapter. Don't worry, in the next chapter Vincent will explain why he decided to go to the dinner (well the almost dinner), and you will understand what happened to Nathan (I guess you might have some idea already. Catherine and Vincent will be together soon, and when i say together is REALLY together.

Hope you guys liked and if you don't understand something please don't forget to mention in the reviews or in the pms. I will let you know if it was intencional or if i really made a mistake.

Have all a great week and you can all find me on twitter spnferreira or my facebook anapferreir

Thank you so much for your support and i seel you soon! :)