This story is written for entertainment purposes only. If you're under age, scram. And BTW, children's Internet use should be monitored by their parents, not me.


Too Good...


"Jeezuz Cat, I can't take you anywhere, I let you out of my sight for five minutes, and look what happens. Not only was I frantically searching for you, I had to do it wearing this lovely outfit. It's been a brutal night. Next time we stick together." Tess admonished her with a grin on her face.

Joe parked his hands on his hips and gave the two detectives a disapproving look. "Chandler, Vargas, there better not be a next time if you know what's good for you. This isn't over, we all have a turn with Internal Affairs. I know you're both good cops, you prove it everyday, but there are questions and you..." he nodded at Cat "need to answer them. Get some rest, Detectives, you both look like you could use it."

"Yes, Boss." They said in unison. Tess mustered up a humble expression and Cat looked contrite.

"And, one more thing, good job on solving Stephanie Lee's murder." He gave up a half-smile before walking out.

Tess and Joe had gone to Simone's address and found Cat's car parked in an alley behind the building. Her coat and shoes were in the front seat, her badge and gun in the back. They entered the building, pounded on her door and when no one responded, Joe kicked it open. They found Simone in her bedroom with a half packed bag crying hysterically. She told them her biggest fear had materialized, her son had killed that girl and now he had taken a police detective, and she had helped him.

Joe laid it on the line, if Detective Chandler was hurt, they would pay for it and suffer the consequences. Her only hope of saving her son was for her to tell them where they were. Simone relented and told them where she had taken them, to an unfinished loft they bought as an investment.

They turned her over to the Uniforms who had arrived and while they raced toward the address, they called for back up and someone had called in a disturbance at that same address. They arrived to find Uniforms there, the kidnapper barely conscious and a battered detective attempting to answer questions. When the medical response team arrived, Joe insisted that Cat be taken to the hospital and that Tess was responsible for making sure she got there.

"How the hell did you do it?" Tess asked, knowing without a doubt that something else went down in that loft.

Catherine gave her a blank look. "They were arguing, when I confronted them, he got combative, I drew my weapon and she took me down with a stun gun. When I came to, I was at that loft, Tito threatened me and I played along. He cut me down and when the opportunity arose, I fought back, and won. " She looked tentative. "Adrenaline is a powerful thing."

So many lies. Knowing they deserved answers had become the burden. Maybe it was the beating she took or maybe it was the pain medicine, but at this very moment, she was only able to process one thing.

Evan walked into her hospital room with a look of concern and doubt on his face. "Glad to see you're doing okay." He gave her a peck on her cheek. "I talked to your father, and as you requested, he won't fly back to New York, but he would like you to call him. I understand they are keeping you overnight for observation and then being the lucky girl that you are, you get the rest of the week off." He gave them both a labored smile. "Tess, I need a moment, I need you to sign off on this report."

He walked her out of Catherine's room and before he could say a word, she answered his unasked question. "She said she was pumped up and kicked his ass because she knew she had to."

"Do you believe that?" Evan asked with uncertainty written all over his face.

Tess shrugged. "Maybe there's more to this story than she's willing to tell, but she's alive and we caught a murderer. So unless you want to open a can of worms, that's the story." She saw the doubt on his face.

"How do you explain the door? It was ripped from it's frame."

She shook her head. "I can't explain it. Listen, don't worry. I'll keep an eye on her."

Evan looked troubled. "I believe someone else already is."

~o~

Vincent had come down from the massive chaos in his head and suffered another sleepless night thinking about Catherine. He knew she would be all right, her injuries would heal and she would be back to being who she was, an NYPD Detective, but one with a very big secret. The conflict he felt was overwhelming. One minute he was on a high thinking about her and the possibilities that they could be together, and the next minute he felt dejected and lonely.

He thought he might lose his mind until he heard the familiar sound of gravel crunching under her feet.

Two days had passed since they saved each other in the loft and both had time to heal and think. They knew this was an impossible situation, one that would never work, but when she walked into the warehouse, impossible became an after thought.

"Catherine, are you really all right?" He felt timid and unsure about how she might feel, in the daylight, without danger hanging over them.

"I am." She answered. "You saved me again. You're like my own personal guardian angel." She took a step toward him and closed the space between them. Her hands reached up and gently cupped his face and she pulled him down into a kiss. She could feel the heat radiating from his body and she knew they would be together.

He wrapped his arms around her and returned her kiss, and then kissed her again, holding her close. The next one was more urgent and the one after that was desperate. Vincent felt every inch of her inside of him. He could feel her heart beating, her breath escalating and her body responding. Catherine had never been held by a man so powerful, yet so gentle, someone so strong, yet vulnerable. She molded her body against his and her knees grew weak. He literally swept her off her feet and carried her up the cement steps, past the chain link door and to his bed.

They loved each other slowly and carefully as if the euphoria between them was fragile and would shatter. He undressed her, one piece of clothing at a time and each one revealed her to be more beautiful than he had imagined. He lifted her against him and she felt his hands splayed out against the bare skin on her back. Each deep breath she took was followed with a sigh of pleasure. Catherine pulled Vincent's shirt off and her fingers traced the muscles in his chest. When she pressed herself against him, skin against skin, she knew there would never be anyone better.

He was perfectly built, strong and hard, but ten years of hiding had left him feeling inexperienced and insecure. "Catherine, I want this to be perfect for you, but it's been a long time..."

She silenced him with a kiss that trailed down his neck to his collar bone and then back to his lips. "I'll show you," she whispered" and she would teach him everything she knew.

Catherine helped him remove the rest of his clothing and she pushed him down on the bed. She straddled his body and when they came together, it took their breath away. She slowly rocked back and forth and they found the perfect rhythm. Their pace quickened and as their bodies took over, sounds of pleasure filled the room. It was a relentless climb, up and up, until both of them reached that point where there was no where to go but to tumble into waves of pure sensation. They held on to each other and when the noise in their bodies began to subside, both of them felt complete.

~o~

Time stands still when we least expect it, and the afternoon turned to night and the lovers still slept soundly in each others arms. They had been exhausted before and now they were spent. Threats of partners calling or of room mates arriving seemed not to matter. What they had was honest and true and Vincent had never been happier.

When they awoke, she assured him with all of her being that this is what she wanted, and he reassured her the same. Catherine thought it impossible that they had anything left in them except for another nap, but Vincent proved her wrong. This time he showed her what he had learned.

Afterward they drank bottles of orange juice and ate potato chips in bed. They talked about their pasts and how these terrible things in their lives brought them together. Vincent told her he thought it was his destiny to watch over her, but now he realized it was Catherine who was sent to save him and love him.

They had to have a plan to keep each other safe but still allow them to be together. They needed to find out what Murifield was capable of what they were capable of doing to stop them. Something had changed in their lives and now both had the same goals and mission in mind. They were determined and convinced their love would conquer anything that would stand in their way. They would prevail.


...To Be True


Vincent had finally extracted himself from Catherine's arms to put on some clothes. He sat on the edge of the bed, and put his shoes on, but suddenly found it difficult to tie the laces. He put his head in his hands and the searing pain he had forgotten about, returned. His vision blurred, Catherine's voice was muffled and far away and he struggled to stay conscious. It was only moments, although it seemed much longer, before he looked up into Catherine's frightened face.

"What just happened? Are you okay?" She asked him, her happiness had turned to concern and she wrapped the sheet that had covered her, around her tightly.

Vincent gave her a weak smile. "I am fine. Sometimes I get these headaches, but they go away." He had forgotten what it was like and he felt cheated by what had just happened.

She wasn't convinced he was fine, she sensed that there was more going on. "How long has this been happening?"

He knew lying to her was pointless, but until now, he hadn't admitted to himself that something was wrong. "It's happened three times before. It never lasts for more than a few seconds." What he didn't tell her is that each episode was worse than the last.

"Vincent, I know you can't go to a doctor, but you looked like you were going to pass out." There's got to be something we can do." She went to him, and like a mother tending to a child, she touched his forehead.

The gesture was warm and caring and he reminded himself that everything was different.

His posture became rigid and his expression turned hard and Catherine saw the alarm in his eyes.

"Someone's coming." He went to the window and Catherine gathered up her clothing.

"What do you see? Who is it?" She had quickly dressed and took her gun from the table and released the safety.

"Catherine." He said calmly. "I want you to hide, get back behind those boxes. There's a group of them, it's got to be Murifield."

"What? No, I'm not going to. I'm not going to let them hurt you or take you away." She began to tremble.

Vincent crossed the room and gathered her into his arms. He stepped back and held her at arms length and looked her in the eye. "Don't let them find you, we are outnumbered. Tell J.T. what happened, you're the only two who know I'm real and that I was here." He kissed her "Catherine, I love you."

With tears rolling down her cheeks, she stepped over a box and behind a stack of crates. She crouched down and hid herself, and waited.

They heard the doors to the warehouse opening. They heard footsteps and the sound of furniture being pushed aside. Vincent could hear multiple hearts beating, the acrid smell of men and weapons and of Catherine whispering to herself, I love you.

The footsteps came closer and Vincent pressed himself against the wall. He wouldn't let them take him without a fight and he wouldn't let them harm Catherine.

~o~

A hundred feet from the warehouse, a black sedan was parked next to two panel vans. The drivers in all three vehicles resembled soldiers dressed in black fatigues. In the back seat of the sedan sat a woman, quite beautiful in an frightening way. Her eyes flashed with danger and she pouted with full sensuous lips. The man next to her seemed reserved, sophisticated and calm.

"Do you really think this will work?" He spoke with a trace of a Russian accent.

"If we succeed, just think of the incredible army we will create." She pushed her bangs out of her face, her red hair glimmered in the dark.

"To make this work, it has to be about being in control. Murifield failed miserably. I know you understand this." The man said, placing his hand on her thigh and squeezing it.

"Not now. I'm working." She smirked. The pop of a gun and then a spray of gunfire from an automatic weapon pierced the quiet. "We need to get closer to the building." She commanded. Her companion tapped on the privacy glass and pointed to the warehouse.

The panel vans followed the sedan and drove up to the fence that surrounded the warehouse. The drivers stepped out of their vehicles and opened the doors.

Inside of the vans were shackles, chains and hand cuffs.

A moment later, three large men dressed in para military fatigues came out, their weapons poised to cover the two other men who dragged Vincent from the building. It took a lot of effort, but they hoisted him into the van and restrained him. He had been shot with a tranquilizer and his world became gray and cloudy. He barely managed to lift his head and when he did, a sorrow so deep cut through his heart. He saw another soldier carrying out Catherine's limp body and deposit her in the back of the other van.