Title: BB The Camera
Chapter 4: Sexy Beast
Pairing: Catherine/Vincent
Genre: AU/Ship
Rating: R
Warning: Language and Sexual Suggestions
Spoiler Alert: S1 E9
Summary: Catherine finally gets her photo and her Sexy Beast.
A/N: Oh thank gawd. I never thought I would get to the point where they kiss. LOL! I know. I know. It is my fic, so I should be able to control it somehow. But you see, I can't. Ok, on to the kiss.
Catherine slowly straightened up while watching him over her shoulder. She turned toward him allowing her hips to dip as she walked back to him. If Vincent in Beast form was primal, she fully intended to talk to him in that language. Her movements were an offer and a promise.
"Still hot in here." Catherine spoke as quiet as possible trying to use mainly breath as she knew his abilities included hearing at great distances. She hoped it would cause him to focus and concentrate on the sound as if tuning in to hear subtle noises.
"Steamy." Catherine's voice floated on the damp air to Vincent's sensitive ears.
Vincent tipped his head somewhat, and she knew it worked.
Now that she knew she had his full attention, she ran a hand around her neck and pulled her hair back letting it thread between her fingers.
She watched Vincent's eyes flicker when the rustling sound from her hair reached him. He tipped his head up a fraction of an inch smelling the air.
"It's like taking a steam bath. Misty wetness." She barely breathed out while shifting her shoulders and arching her back to give him a better view.
Next, Catherine slid her hand down her neck letting her arm press and rub against her breast. She knew that his eyes were fixed on her hand then her cleavage where the light friction sound was coming from.
He grunted in approval wishing it was his tongue tracing her neck and breast. He clenched his hands slowly into fists then released as if he wanted to grab onto her body. His nose faired and he breathed in again when she shifted her stance and flipped the other side of her hair back.
Catherine held up the camera to take a photo and wanted to capture his predatory desire on film. She had to blink a few times because the intimate interaction caused her eyes to lose focus and dilate. She felt as if she downed an entire bottle of wine. The ache between her legs made her want to strip, climb on Vincent and press her breasts against his face in offering.
Catherine reminded herself she needed photos of Vincent as the Beast. "That's it. Pose for me. Give it to me. Give me the sexy Beast."
Vincent, still in Beast, form stood and took a step toward her while the camera flashed several times.
"Stop." Catherine held her hand out flat at him and spoke in her regular tone and volume. "Sit. On the bench. I need to get some photos."
Vincent made fists flexing his arms and roared at her flashing his teeth and fangs.
"Vincent?" Catherine lowered her hand knowing he would not hurt her.
He growled in reply.
"I need to get some photos, and I can't do that if you touch me. Please." She was back to whispering again knowing he would have to be quiet and still to fully hear her.
She knew the camera was focused on him already so she held the button down. She guessed it took a few dozen by the time she stopped.
"Bench." Catherine insisted quietly not really wanting him to go to the bench.
She had always heard friends giggling saying that their man had ravaged them, and she wanted to know how that felt. She wanted his ferocity unleashed on her body as she found release.
But first, she needed a damn photograph that was usable for the stupid book.
He picked up the bench breaking the support bands that held it in place and swung it as if he was going to launch it into outer space by way of the glass ceiling.
Catherine gasped, "Please Vincent."
The sudden intake of air and spoken plea penetrated Vincent's mind.
At the last second, he gripped the bench and twisted not letting it go. He glanced around then to her. He stood there blinking repetitively and quickly before the gold died down some.
Vincent seemed to gain control and set the bench back in place. He growled low and deep in his chest letting her know he would have felt better if he could have smashed something.
She never felt threatened even though he was about to destroy part of the building with his anger. "Thank you. I was just…you know doing the photographer thing. I need to take a few more photos ok?"
His head nodded once then he sat on the bench with his forearms resting on his knees, which was what he knew she wanted. His eyes flashed gold again as his frustration, rage and desire shone on his face like dancing candle light.
"Good. That's good." She moved around and took photos from different angles. "Good boy."
He squinted at her letting her know he didn't like being called boy.
She almost giggled because she pictured him pulling up pink and white orchids in a fit of anger.
"Alright, I think we're done." Catherine beamed at him with a broad smile.
Vincent lowered his head and concentrated. After a few moments, he was himself again. "Sorry about the bench. I um…"
Catherine stepped up to him and turned the camera to let him see one of the photos. "Don't worry about it. It looks great on film, and it's not like you launched it out the ceiling or anything like that."
"I was about to." Vincent grinned mischievously while she pressed a viewer button letting them both see what shots she got.
"I know." Catherine raised her eyebrows as she pressed her bicep against him purposefully touching him.
Vincent was starting to get nervous that she was going to leave now, and he didn't know how she would feel if he asked her out on a date. He thought he really should have been watching more recent things on television instead of watching movies that he saw on Catherine's shelves in her apartment.
He raised an eyebrow thinking that Lord of the Rings served him well earlier. But somehow he didn't think that announcing that he would come back to her at the turn of the tide or for her to look to his coming on the first light of the fifth day, at dawn for her to look to the east would go so well for him.
"Yes, Vincent." She set the camera down next to the bench and turned back to him.
"I didn't ask anything?" Vincent felt dumbstruck standing this close to her. He tried to force down what he thought was a stupid grin.
"You were thinking a question. What were you going to ask?" Catherine wondered what sexual comment he was about to make.
Vincent looked down at the ferns then back up to her eyes. He hadn't asked a woman out in years and knew he was doing it wrong. "Do you want to go on a date sometime?"
Catherine scrutinized his face seeing that he was being serious. She thought it was obvious at this point that she wanted him to be her man. It confused her that he was kind of acting like they didn't even know each other's names. He looked nervous, and she wanted to calm that down. A date it was then.
"Yes, we can go out on a date. Better yet. There is a Christmas get together at my parents. Want to go?" Catherine stepped closer almost touching him desperately wanting to get back to where they were before.
Catherine wished he would be the one to make contact next. She wanted to feel his hands slide around her body and his soft lips press against her lips. She was practically bouncing with anticipation.
"I um…tried to invite myself already. Evan said it wasn't a good idea." His smile was gone and Catherine noticed he was back to brooding again. He even leaned away from her.
Her frustration level shot up. She thought because the photo shoot session was over that they were going to finally kiss and possibly finish stripping. He wasn't even making eye contact at this point.
Now she was the one that wanted to break something. She would have picked up the camera to smash it if it did not have the wickedly sensuous photos of Vincent on it.
Catherine knew she was losing ground with him and fast. She didn't know how to fix it. She tried to get his attention and nothing seemed to work like it did before. It was as if he closed himself off again hiding himself.
She felt like smashing her head against a wall until she fell unconscious. She sarcastically glanced at Vincent's abs thinking they were hard enough that it might work.
She concluded the downward spiral started with the mention of Evan. She pondered that Evan was also the one behind Vincent not being at the Thanksgiving dinner.
She pictured Vincent sitting alone somewhere on a holiday. It angered her.
"I don't give a fucking flying pyjak what Evan wants." She was tired of Evan sticking his nose into her love life and her work life. The men she went out with weren't good enough for her. The job she had was not prestigious enough for her. She shouldn't cut her hair any shorter because it made her look like a boy.
Vincent watched anger flash on her face, and he liked it. He always went for the feisty independent type.
"You want to go. I want you go to. Who gives a shit what anyone else thinks? I don't. Anyone needs to stay out of my business."
Catherine took a deep breath and braced her hands on her hips. She glanced around as if looking for Evan so she could tell him off.
It was obvious to Vincent that the anyone she was talking about was Evan. Vincent found her anger on his behalf flattering and damn attractive.
"I'll go if you tell me one thing." Vincent fought to keep the smile off of his face.
"What's that?" Catherine's anger fueled her desire to touch Vincent again. Her eyes roved over his half naked frame for the third time in the last ten seconds.
"What's a pie jack? Is it some type of pie or is it something you do?" He squinted his eyes as if he was trying to understand the term, which he wasn't. He just wanted to know if she really knew what it was.
"Neither. Pyjaks are a monkey rodent thing on Mass Effect. Well, they didn't name it till two." Catherine shifted her stance drawing his attention as she had before.
His eyes glanced down then back up. A flicker of fire danced in his eyes as he leaned over her.
"You're a gamer." Vincent spoke it as a statement. He wondered what her gamer tag was and if they had ever unknowing played on line together.
"Yes." Her mind offered that she could have told him it was a sexual position and then she could have asked him if he wanted a demonstration. She thought that would sound too corny and she shook her head no.
"Yes you are or no you're not?" Vincent saw she was looking distracted again. He leaned even closer as his eyebrows hitched up a fraction because of his interest.
"Yes."
"Yes?" Vincent smirked as if he didn't believe her.
"Yes." At this point, she had no idea what question he asked because her inner monologue was driving her crazy. She absently wondered if she was saying yes she wanted to touch him. She blinked twice clearing out her thoughts trying to remember it had something to do with games.
He was glairing devilishly at her, but he was not making any moves.
She was running out of reasons again to not touch him. She reminded herself that they had not even gone out on one date yet. She countered with thinking that touching was not necessarily a bad thing. Her mind responded with the knowledge that once she started touching him that she doubted she would have the power to stop.
"Why should I stop?" Catherine blurted out as she was getting angry with herself.
"Stop being a gamer?" Vincent knew exactly what she had been thinking.
It thrilled him that the confident, detailed oriented and highly intelligent woman in front of him was just as frustrated with the situation as he was. He could not bring himself to instigate things, so he just tried to be patient and wait for her.
"People think that attorneys shouldn't play video games." She didn't exactly answer him and she didn't exactly lie.
He found her fascinating and wondered if he could sit in on some of her court cases.
Catherine told herself that she couldn't that she should at least wait till the end of their first date.
Her hands went back to fidgeting and her mind started going back over the reasons why she should keep her hands to herself. She shook her head thinking if she had to stand this close to him any longer then she would have to stop by the ladies room and keep her hands on herself for a while so that she could be sane enough to drive home.
Catherine thought she would have to do just that because there was no way she was telling a police officer that no she was not drunk just turned on a lot.
She finally told herself why the hell not. Nothing sounded convincing anyway. She determined she would have to be the one to set things in motion again.
Once she knew she was not going to hold back, she decided not to slowly work things up because she was already there and guessed he was too.
Catherine tried to speak slowly and pressed her hands to his muscular abdomen. "From the moment I saw you, I knew I wanted you. You're quite the sexy beast, Vincent."
She decided Sexy Beast was going to be her nickname for him.
His eyelids flickered with barely contained need as his muscles jumped and flexed. He had no idea why a woman would find his Beast side attractive, but for some reason she seemed to like it. It was the most unattractive trait he believed he had. It was the thing that made him self-conscious. And he could tell she liked it…a lot.
No one had ever fully accepted everything about him except for JT. And even then, Vincent kept things from his friend. He wasn't holding anything back from her. He knew he was free to be himself with her. There was a freedom in that which he had not felt since before his brothers passed away in the towers.
The front of her pink top grazed his body as her hands slid up his chest. The contact sent tingling sensation all over him. His hands trembled from trying to restrain himself from touching her.
Catherine knew he wanted her, but he was not joining in. "How long has it been?"
Vincent felt as if he could not get enough air. His eyes shifted from her eyes to her sliding hands.
He tried to speak but his voice cut out then he tried again. "While I was deployed. She uhhh we watched out for each other and if one of us needed aaaaah attention we went to each other. She was experimented on too. It wasn't exactly romantic like love if you know what I mean."
Catherine nodded her head yes and her hands stopped moving. She expected him to say a year maybe two, but ten.
Her eyes darted around wondering if this was an appropriate setting especially since it had been so long for him.
Vincent's first instinct was that she was looking for the way out. He told that part of his mind to shut up. "What are you thinking?"
"That maybe we should wait." Catherine pondered asking him to come back with her to her apartment. After Heather married Evan, she moved out, so they would have the place to themselves.
Vincent put his hands over hers where they were pressed to his pecks. "Wait longer than ten years?" He overly pronounced each word letting the sound of each word bounce sarcastically.
Catherine caught the humor in his voice and saw the smirk. She busted out laughing and leaned on him.
Vincent's bark of laughter bounced off of the Conservatory's ceiling sending birds into the air.
"No. No waiting." Catherine tried to stop laughing.
"Oh thank gawd." Vincent's eyes danced with mirth as his hands ran over her arms to her shoulders.
Her arms slid around him as she stepped fully against him. Her face was pressed against his chest again, and it felt right to both of them.
Last time on the bench, when they embraced it had been to comfort pain. Now, it was a mutual happiness and light hearted joke that they shared. The contact was as sweet as sugar cookies warm fresh from the oven.
"Thank you." Catherine closed her eyes and for the first time alone with a man she was attracted to…she felt safe.
Vincent's voice was filled with the mirth from his eyes. "I haven't done anything yyyyyet."
Catherine reached up and pinched the back of his arm with her nails knowing what he was hinting at to her.
"Hey." Vincent pretended to be hurt and pulled his arm up.
"I mean for what you did for us. You risked your life to save us. Thank you." Catherine listened to the beat of his heart and slid her hands on his back.
They started swaying as if music were playing. And it was, but it was not the kind of music you hear with your ears. It was the kind of melody you sense with your heart. Their heart songs were now perfectly in tune with each others. One completed the other's song as they twined together underneath the foliage.
This was Vincent's moment. He had waited nine long years to feel her arms wrapped around him in joy of the contact. He held her tightly as they watched the tropical birds settle back down across from the fountain.
The sun was starting to set in the horizon and a pinkish peach glow illuminated the plants and the fountains in the Conservatory.
They continued to sway to the unheard music till she pressed away enough to peer up into his knowing eyes. Her lips tipped gently up on the sides in peace and her eyes watched him expectantly as if to say she was ready for more.
The resolve in her eyes and their banter melted away his self doubt and bashfulness around her.
He lowered his lips toward her even as she angled her chin up bringing their lips together. The soft press and the light caress of breath was a dizzying spell that bound them together. For all Catherine and Vincent knew, they really were in a steamy tropical jungle where none but them existed. Their hands explored, their bodies pressed together and they deepened the kiss even as they felt themselves deepening their connection.
After a time, they pulled a few inches apart so they could gaze into each other's eyes to reaffirm what they felt inside.
Catherine was content to just look upon him for a time and map the brown and green of his eyes. He was the man that was her safety and her fantasies come to life before her.
Vincent was mesmerized by a vision in pink before him as the light from the setting sun seemed to encase her like a fairytale princess of a distant kingdom. He wanted to say something to her to let her know how he felt, but nothing seemed to fit the feelings that swirled around in his thoughts.
He finally settled on just speaking without trying to plan it and knew that she might understand.
"You're the Beauty to my Beast. I never thought I would or could feel…normal again. You make me feel like things might be alright. You make me feel human and not some experiment gone wrong that needs to be put down."
He cupped her face with his hands. "You're everything to me, Catherine. Everything I could have possibly hoped for and feared would never be mine. It truly is as if I have walked into a dream."
Catherine felt her eyes sting with tears, but they did not overflow. She felt her heart wrench, but it did not break. She felt her world torn apart, but it brought no pain. She knew she was not the same person who walked into the Conservatory to take photos of a hot guy. She felt herself as being more than her.
It was as if her world was a puzzle. Vincent had removed some of her pieces, chiseled some of his own and made them fit into hers. She wasn't one of the crowd any longer. She wasn't an outsider looking in and she wasn't alone anymore.
The barriers she held around her heart were no longer in existence, and she felt the impact of his words inside herself where she never let anyone go. It was too fragile a place that could be so easily destroyed by a cruel man or even a careless one. She knew Vincent was neither of those things.
She spent her days and nights working in a cynical profession. She witnessed utter betrayals and trusting people's worlds ripped apart to utter destruction and desolation that could never be righted.
Now here with Vincent, she gave her trust to him freely knowing he was not perfect, but she truly believed he was perfect for her.
Peering closely into his eyes she had nothing to say. She had nothing to give that could compare with the gifts he had just given to her. All she had was herself, so she offered herself to him.
Catherine pulled him down to her more firmly pressing their lips together. He tried to pull back to speak, but she wouldn't let him. She clung to him as if drowning and there was no way to get close enough to him.
His primal side responded to her demand. He fed from her lips, and he clutched her to him grinding their bodies together. He changed back and forth between Beast and himself in fluid movements consuming her with his own demands for more.
Over time, Vincent found his Beast side calmed and once again allowed him to keep contact with her lovely eyes. There was a connection and an understanding in their depths that he had never been a part of before.
Eventually, Catherine also felt the frantic intensity ease knowing she would have him now. It was as if warm honey were poured over her body as her muscles relaxed in the safety of the knowledge that she was his and he was hers.
Nothing and no one would ever come between them from this moment forward. Even if death took one of them, that one would go on living in the other's soul never to be lost. No, they would never be separated not by death, time or distance.
They were one.
AN: *deep breath* When I found out how the original series ended, I had to be sure that this Beauty and this Beast would never be apart from one another. This Beauty and this Beast will be like the Disney version…and they lived happily ever after. Yes, that's better. *takes another deep breath* Wait, did I type she knew she was going to have him now? As in now now? I guess that means next chapter is going to get a little Nc-17. And, I wanted to say thank you for the reviews. They help me write. :)