The sun was not yet rising in the morning sky, but the birds were starting to stir. Vincent was not accustomed to sleeping above ground and their morning-song woke him. He was initially surprised to find himself lying next to Catherine on her bed. She was still sleeping, snuggled up very close to him, a look of deep contentment on her face. As he looked at her, the conversations of the previous evening came flooding back into his mind. Her words kept repeating over and over in his mind. "Vincent … we gave each other everything"! and "Vincent … I'm going to have your child"!
Could it be true, was this woman, whom he loved more than anything, really be carrying his child? Had they really 'loved' each other that night down in the caves? Vincent rose very carefully from the bed so as not to wake Catherine and walked to the large windows leading to the balcony. He had seen the sunrise quite a few times before, but today it looked more beautiful than he had ever seen it. He looked back towards the bed and saw that Catherine was stirring. He walked back to the bed and sat on the edge, then leaning down towards her, he kissed her very tenderly on the lips.
As he pulled back from her he could see that her eyes were open and looking at him intently. "Good morning Catherine" he said. "Vincent" she said softly, bringing her hand up to touch his face. "I would like to wake up to that kiss every morning"! They looked at each other for a few moments. Surprisingly, it was Catherine who was the first to break eye contact. There was something in the way he had looked at her that almost made her blush, and she looked away. "Did you sleep well Catherine" asked Vincent. "Yes" she replied. Vincent got up and walked back to the window. "The sunrise was beautiful this morning Catherine, but it was nothing compared to how beautiful you looked when you were asleep". He turned to her as he said this and again she felt herself blush. She rose out of bed and walked towards him and put her arms around his waist. His arms wrapped around her and they stood looking out as the sun started to show itself in the distance.
"Vincent, do you remember what we spoke about yesterday" Catherine asked. "Every word" he replied. "And how do you feel now"? She queried. Vincent thought for a moment and as he spoke his arms wrapped around her just a little bit tighter. "I feel like I am truly blessed to have found you Catherine. Your love is more than I could have ever dreamt of and this 'child', this miracle that grows inside you, fills me with feelings that I can barely contain". Catherine could think of nothing to say to follow this. Her whole being was overflowing with joy, happiness and love. Just at that moment her alarm went off and brought the two back from their reverie. Catherine walked over to the bedside and turned it off. "Lucky me – I have to go to work"! She exclaimed.
Vincent looked out of the window again. "I must go now" he said. He needed to be back in the tunnels before the sun rose completely. "Yes of course" Catherine replied. She knew for his safety he needed to return, but she could not hide the disappointment from her voice. He sensed the change in her tone and walked over to her. "Catherine … shall I see you below tonight? Will we tell Father our news"? She smiled up at him "Yes, I think we shall". She started to walk towards the balcony windows when he caught hold of her arm. It didn't hurt, but it was a tighter grip than he would usually use. She was a little surprised, but not enough for it to show on her face. He pulled her towards him and she looked up at him. They looked deeply into each other's eyes. No words were needed in this moment. Their gaze said everything. Then very slowly Vincent brought his face down towards hers and kissed her on the lips.
This took Catherine by surprise, but she was not about to let that get in the way. She accepted his kiss and as his grip loosened, she brought her arms up around his neck. He in turn, wrapped his arms around her back and she felt herself being pulled in towards him, tighter and tighter. She felt like she was drowning and floating at the same time. This moment, that she had dreamed about for so long, was like nothing she had ever experienced before. She wanted to stay in his embrace forever, never wanting it to stop. Eventually, their lips parted and they pulled away slightly, both catching their breath.
As she looked up at Vincent, she could see that it was his turn to blush slightly. She smiled as she looked up at him. Vincent was surprised at his own boldness. He had not really thought about kissing her. The need to bring her close and place his lips on hers had so overwhelmed him that he had been powerless to stop. Their arms loosened from each other and they walked in opposite directions … Vincent towards the balcony and Catherine towards the clock on the bedside. "I must go now Catherine". He gestured towards the window, the sun was creeping over the horizon. "Yes" she replied. "Be safe Catherine". Vincent said. "I will" she said smiling at him. "Until tonight". Vincent replied, then he turned and headed out onto the balcony and was gone. "Until tonight" Catherine repeated.
End of Part Three
This story is my first ff attempt, so please feel free to leave comments.