10
Authors Note: Vincent is sooo out of character during the chapter, I think. Let me know what you think, and what I can do to make it better – thanks! Also, this story technically takes the place of the 3rd season. And even though Edie didn't appear in the 2nd season, I revived her in this story, her being such a terrific character. I mean, who doesn't like Edie? (And for those of you unfamiliar with Edie, it's pronounced Ee-dee.)

"I've heard that Mozart was treated the same way." Catherine recalled. "He wrote his first piece at age five, so people were convinced he was some kind of freak or something – they were too afraid to look past it, so instead, the made fun of him."

Vincent nodded. "His abilities made him different, an alien." he shook his head, trying to comprehend. "Music is such a beautiful thing, and what Mozart wrote was... astounding. And yet he was shunned for it, just because he wrote it when he was at a younger age than most."

"Have you ever tried your hand at music?" Catherine asked Vincent.

He shrugged. "I've put some things together in my mind, here and there, throughout the years. I have messed around with the piano Mouse once smuggled Below..."

"And?" Catherine prodded.

"No, I have not written anything." Vincent admitted. "You press a key on the piano and hear one sound; it makes you truly wonder how people have put together great symphonies, how so few keys can make so many different songs."

"I had piano lessons for about three years," Catherine said with a laugh. "I never got off the beginner's book."

"And what happened?"

"We eventually got rid of the piano." Catherine said. "I don't remember why, but it probably had something to do with too little space in the living room for something I was never using!"

Vincent nodded. "So have you?"

"Have I what?"

"Have you attempted to compose music?" Vincent wanted to know.

Catherine laughed. "Me? Oh, no, never. I tried for three years to play My Darling Clementine and never succeeded. I could never write a song. I guess I'm just not musically inclined."

"Well, you certainly have interesting tastes," Vincent said, picking up the record off the record player that she was listening too earlier. "Billy Joel?"

"Would you prefer a records by Wings?" Catherine asked, laughing. "Or is Bruce Springsteen more your style?"

"How about Beethoven?" Vincent peered into her records.

Catherine grimaced. "I was afraid you'd want that one – it wore out."

"Well, how about-" he was interrupted by the phone ringing.

Catherine sighed. "Hold on a minute, please, Vincent." she walked over to the phone and picked it up. "Cathy Chandler?"

"Hey, Catherine!" Meg's voice came over the phone.

"Oh, hey Meg – what's up?" Catherine asked her.

"Well, Mike's getting a week off soon, and I got to thinking," Meg said. "Are you busy next week?"

"Next week," Catherine mused. "I've got work, and if I take more time off, Joe might kill me, but what's up?"

"Well, I was thinking that maybe Mike could take his week off when your schedule was relatively clear, and maybe I could come over to New York for a couple days, to spend time together."

"That would be-" Catherine exclaimed, then remembering Vincent was in the room. "That would be so much fun!" she finished coyly. "And then you can meet 'my special guy'." Catherine turned Meg on speaker phone so Vincent could hear Meg too. "It's Meg." she whispered to Vincent.

"Are you still there?" Meg asked.

"Yes, I'm still here." Catherine said. "So, yeah, that sounds fun. The only problem is that I took about three or four days off this week, so Joe probably wouldn't let me off for awhile."

"The baby?" Meg asked excitedly. "You took off because of the baby, didn't you?"

"Yep." Catherine said. "And do you know what Joe said when I told him I was pregnant; 'Mazeltov Cathy, now get to work'."

"Men," Meg groaned. "Hey, Joe isn't your 'special guy' is he?"

"No!" Catherine replied, giggling. "No! Definitely not Joe." she looked over at Vincent, who was smiling, enjoying listening to Catherine's conversation.

"C'mon, Catherine, we tell each other everything." Meg said. "Who is he? And why is he such a secret?"

"Well..." Catherine said, looking over at Vincent, who shook his head. "Hold on a minute."

Catherine pulled Vincent away from the speaker, and stood up on her toes to whisper in his ear. "I won't tell her much, just your name and sparse details like that – it'll make you less of a shock when she comes."

Vincent nodded, giving his consent, and they both went back over to the phone. "Hey, Meg, I'm back." Catherine said. "What were we just talking about?"

"Catherine, are you busy?" Meg asked uncertainly.

"No; why?"

"Because you keep putting me on hold. If your busy, I'll just call you back later."

"No, no." Catherine said. "No, I'm not busy. Now, my 'special guy'. Hmmm... what should I tell you?"

"Details, I need details!" Meg begged. "Come on, Catherine, this is your first romance in forever!"

"Tom Gunther was only two or three years ago." Catherine retorted.

"And you weren't too into him, remember?" Meg reminded her cousin. "It's been practically forever. Where did you two meet?"

"As I said," Catherine said slowly. "In New York."

Meg sighed. "Why are you being so secretive?"

"In Central Park." Catherine added. That was sort of true, right? "His, er, name is Vincent. He's thirty-seven, he's... really sweet, really smart-"

"But a geek by no means." Meg added. "Please tell me I'm right, please!"

"He definitely not a geek." Catherine added, stifling a laugh. "As a matter of fact, would you like to talk to him?"

Vincent shook his head in protest, but caved in after Meg spoke. "Yes! Yes! Is he there?"

"He sure is," Catherine said with a smile. "Vincent, say something?"

Vincent shook his head, his eyes begging. "It's okay." Catherine whispered. "Just make small talk – her knowing you first will help when she meets you. Just speak – she'll be able to hear you."

Vincent awkwardly cleared his throat. "Hello Meg."

"Hey Vincent." Meg's voice came over the phone. "It's nice to finally speak to you."

"I-I've heard a lot about you." Vincent said. "Catherine says you two are very close."

"Like sisters." Meg said. "So, Vincent, what's your story? Why are you such a big secret?"

"What did you say?" Vincent stalled for time.

"Why does Catherine keep you and her relationship such a secret?" Meg wanted to know. "I don't mean to be nosy or anything, but..."

"No its perfectly all right." Vincent assured her. "I have been curious about my brother Devin's romantic life once or twice as well."

"So you have a brother." Meg said. "That's cool."

"We're adopted brothers, yes." Vincent said. "Do you have any siblings?"

"Yeah, I have a brother named Ryan, and my husband, Mike." she said. "So, how long have you and Catherine been dating?"

"Dating." Vincent repeated. "Umm... we've known each other for about three years now... we've been seeing each other for," he glanced over at Catherine who nodded. "For about that long."

"Love at first sight, eh?" Meg asked.

"Well, no, not exactly." Vincent told the truth. After all, Catherine threw glass at him! "Well, I suppose I'll let Catherine back on now..."

"We're on speaker phone." Catherine said quickly. "We can all talk. So, Meg, how is Cameryn? Are you sure about her autism yet?"

"No, not yet." Meg replied. "We're just going to keep a close eye on her until she gets older, until we can tell for sure."

"Isn't there some kind of diagnosis?" Catherine asked.

"Yes, there is, but if we got her officially diagnosed, then there would be a lot of complicated things to do." Meg explained. "Just keep praying for her."

"We will." Catherine said. "We both will."

"Meg, what do you do for a career?" Vincent asked curiously.

"A stay-at-home mom, for the most part." Meg laughed. "Catherine tells me that you teach English and literature, that you're a tutor."

"Yes, I suppose that is what I do." Vincent said. "I do a little bit of everything, I suppose."

"How are Bailee and Mike?" Catherine tried to change the subject.

"They are good." Meg said. "Look, Catherine, I've got to go. Talk to you both later?"

"Sure." Catherine said. "Hey, can Mike take off not this coming week, but the week after that?"

"I think so." Meg said. "Do you think you'll be able to take then off?"

"I think if I work hard enough, flatter Joe enough, and then beg enough, I may get a week off." Catherine said. "I've asked for so little time off since I've worked with the DA that Joe probably will pull a few strings for me."

"All right, so I'll see the two of you in two weeks, hopefully!" Meg said. "'Bye!"

"Goodbye." Catherine and Vincent said together before Meg hung up.

"So, what do you think of her?" Catherine asked Vincent.

"She's nice." Vincent said. "She seems very concerned about you and your romantic life."

"I've made a lot of bad choices in men before." Catherine laughed. "She's always had the better judgment; she just wants to make sure your the right guy for me. I think she sounded pretty satisfied with you though. You know, you told her more about yourself than I expected."

"The more she knows about me, the better our meeting will be." Vincent said. "I didn't say much, just that I was adopted and-"

"And that it wasn't 'love at first sight'. Catherine interrupted. "Any minute know she'll relay the conversation in her head and wonder 'what'd he mean by that?'."

"It will give her an idea that maybe I'm not normal." he said gently. "Lower her expectations some. I'm afraid her expectations are too high for me to reach, that they are out of my grasp."

"No, they aren't." Catherine said firmly. "Meg looks in the inside, not the outside. Take her husband Mike for example; he was dealt one of the worst hands in the looks department, says so him. His nose doesn't fit his mouth; forehead doesn't fit his cheeks..."

"Catherine, that is not very kind." Vincent reminded her.

"I'm quoting him!" Catherine explained. "And he was quoting an actor. He looks kind of like the actor, Ron Perlman. Do you know who he is?"

Vincent shook his head. "I can't say that I do."

"Well, Perlman spends half of his career absolutely covered in makeup," Catherine told him. "Don't worry about what Meg thinks of your looks – if she can look past a not-so-handsome man, she can look past you."

"Father thinks it is a good idea for Meg to know of the Tunnels." Vincent changed the subject a tad bit. "He thinks she can be of help during the delivery, and certainly show a lot of support for you – for both of us."

Catherine nodded. "And best of all, she can help me keep it a secret. Help support whatever lie I'm going to have to tell whoever I know; who my 'special guy' is and all of those details, and eventually, 'what does the baby look like' or 'where is the baby'. Meg will keep the secret, I promise."

"And what of her husband and children?" Vincent asked. "Once, we had a Helper named Carson. He kept the Tunnels a secret from his wife, children, family, and it eventually cost him everything – his job, his home, his family – we mustn't let that happen to your cousin."

"And it won't." Catherine said. "Meg will tell Mike... eventually. And the children can slowly ease into it – they are good kids and won't speak a word of it if they are told not to."

"At least the youngest won't." Vincent referred to Cameryn. "Autistic children often times have a delay in speech."

"Cameryn is talking more, I think." Catherine said. "Autistic or not, she will keep our secret."

Vincent nodded. "We have agreed then, the child will live Below?"

Catherine sighed and nodded. "It's for the best."

"As an infant it should go home with you for the night," Vincent suggested. "Give you two 'bonding time'."

Vincent had already explained his and Father's suspicions about the baby being the person Vincent was sensing, so Catherine smiled. "It seems at though the two of you have had enough bonding time," she laughed. "But no, I can't take the child Above every evening – I'd feel safer knowing he or she was Below. I'll be spending every moment I'm not at work Below though, so the child will know me well, I hope."

"On the weekends, when you do not work, you may be able to live Below." Vincent suggested. "You can sleep in the baby's chamber."

"The baby will sleep all alone in a chamber during infancy?" Catherine asked, shocked. "That doesn't sound right! It needs to be warm, nurtured, protected – if not in the bed with the parents, in a crib only steps away!" Catherine blushed slightly, realizing she had said 'bed with the parents'. "I mean, typically, in a typical relationship 'in bed with the parents'. I didn't mean you and I because-"

Vincent held up his hand, signaling her to stop. "I know what you are saying, Catherine. I understand. And no, we don't want the baby too far from the parents at night – it needs to be in the same chamber." He suddenly realized that he had made it sound like the parents shared a chamber, so he tried to cover it up. "I meant to say was, that the baby needs to be in the same chamber as one of the parents, as to-"

"I understand." Catherine interrupted. "But taking the baby Above every night seems risky."

"It does." Vincent agreed. "I suppose, even though its not normal... its not tradition... the baby can sleep in my chamber."

"Until the weekend." Catherine retorted teasingly. "Then the baby is mine."

"Does this mean I will not get to spend my weekend with our child?" Vincent asked, mock possessively.

"You'll have him or her all week." Catherine said. "It's my turn – our turn - on the weekends."

"And when the baby is older, say three or four, he moves into his own chamber, or the nursery at least." Vincent said.

"And, if Father agrees, I'll be sharing the chamber with it on the weekends." Catherine stated. "Argh! I hate calling the baby 'it'. But consistently saying 'him or her' or 'he or she' gets old, you know?"

Vincent nodded. "But can you think of something else to call it- him or her?"

"We could just try referring to he or she has 'baby'." Catherine suggested. "Or maybe 'it' won't scar the baby so bad – we'd better stick with 'it' until we find out."

"Are we going to find out?" Vincent asked.

"It depends." Catherine said thoughtfully. "Father or Dr. Peter will be my doctor for the time being, so in case something shows up that relatively unusual, they will be able to take care of it. And once they find out, keeping it a secret will be impossible for them, I know it."

"But then again," Catherine continued. "I probably won't have many ultrasounds done, if any of all – that's considered a luxury Below, isn't it?" she added teasingly.

"I think it is considered to be quite a rarity, yes." Vincent went along with her joke.

All of a sudden, the phone rang. "Again?" Catherine cried out. She picked up the phone. "Hello, Cathy Chandler."

"Yo, Radcliffe, I'm sorry about your day off, really, truly, I am, but we need you right away. New case, right up your alley." It was Joe, the last person Catherine wanted to call.

"Joe!" Catherine whined. "I know I've been taking a lot of time off, but do I need to have this case now?"

"Oh, yes." Joe said. "A pregnant woman was just found dead in her apartment, right down the street from Edie."

Catherine felt her stomach turn. "A pregnant woman, you say?"

"Yes, she was five months pregnant. Police-" Joe stopped. "Oh, sorry Cathy, I-I forgot about you being, er, pregnant. I completely forgot. Look, I'm sorry. I'll try to find someone else to take the case."

"Oh, no. I'm up to it." Catherine said.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." Catherine said. "I'll be at the office in, lets say, an hour?"

"All right, Cathy; you have one hour. Catch you later."

"'Bye Joe." Catherine said, hanging up the phone. She turned to Vincent. "I'm sorry, Vincent, but-"

"You must go." Vincent urged her.

"I haven't even had a chance to explain what happened." Catherine asked, puzzled.

"A pregnant woman was either injured, murdered, or something of the like." Vincent said.

"How did you know?"

"You always get a certain feeling in the pit of your stomach when something like that happens." Vincent said simply. "Go – I will be fine."

"Okay." Catherine said, a little surprised at Vincent's taking charge. "There's, um, leftovers in the fridge for lunch, or we have sandwich stuff – you'd better go with the sandwich stuff, so you don't have to heat anything up." she grabbed her purse. "Um, if the phone rings, just let the answering machine pick it up. If its me, just pick up the receiver and say 'hello' – its real easy. Help yourself to any books, the TV, records or cassettes, anything in the refrigerator-"

"I'll be fine, just fine." Vincent assured her.

"I should be back at about six or seven." Catherine said. "I'll bring food home for supper. And as tempting as it may be, Vincent, stay away from the windows. We can't risk you being seen, especially when I'm not home. Oh Father would never forgive me if-"

"Catherine, Catherine, calm down." Vincent attempted to clam her down, her emotions going crazy again. "I will be fine. I appreciate your concern, but I will be fine."

"Oh, Vincent," Catherine said, burying her head in his chest. "I know you'll be fine. I'm just such a mess!"

"You are just fine, just fine." Vincent assured her. "Juliet had emotions too."

"Oh, so now I'm Juliet?" Catherine smiled up at Vincent. "I hope that makes you Romeo – we'd be the most romantic couple of the 80's."

Vincent nodded towards the door. "You must go."

"oh, right." Catherine started for the door. "Love you, be safe, 'bye." And with that, she left.

Vincent groaned, all of her emotions whirling inside him. That was one thing that made Romeo a very fortunate man – he didn't feel all of Juliet's feminine emotions. Not that Vincent minded feeling Catherine's emotions all the time. True, it drove him crazy, but it always reminded him of his love, and of the woman who loved him for him, not judging what was on the outside. And even when she did judge the outside, she still only seemed to see beauty. Vincent shook his head. As much as he could read, as much as he could learn, he would never figure out a woman's heart – never, ever, ever.

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"Karen Jones was a young girl," Edie told Catherine, wiping away a tear. "She could have only been about twenty. She lived two doors down from me in the apartment building. Now, I don't know for sure, but I think it was her boyfriend who done killed her."

"Edie, who was the boyfriend?" Catherine gently asked her friend.

"I don't know," Edie said. "I never met him. I saw him once. He was tall, black, had an earring..."

Catherine sighed. "C'mon Edie, don't you remember anything unusual?"

Edie shook her head. "Like I said, never met him." she looked up at Catherine. "Why are you doing this case? Ain't you in delicate enough condition? I thought Joe would be loading you down on paperwork for the next year!"

Catherine smiled. "Actually, I think he will be. This is probably my last big case until the baby's born."

"'And who's the daddy, anyways?" Edie asked.

"We're supposed to be working on a case, not discussing my romantic life." Catherine reminded her friend.

"C'mon girl, your always so single, never dating, and all of a sudden boom! Your pregnant! There's gotta be a story behind that." Edie said.

"We'll discuss it later." Catherine said. "Ty to run checks on men who match your description of Karen Jones' boyfriend – lets find out who that guy is."

As Catherine walked back towards her desk, she felt a feeling of homesickness, with a touch of boredom. Vincent, she thought with a smile. He must be so bored and lonely in that apartment all alone. Maybe he'll find something to do – maybe he can prepare for an English or literature lesson with one of my books. That's it!

She quickly dialed her own phone number, finding it strange to do so. After all, who calls their own number?

After the fourth ring, she heard her own voice. This is Catherine Chandler and I'm out right now. We all know what these things are for, so just do your thing and I'll call you back.

"Hey, Vincent?" Catherine said. "It's me – pick up the phone."

After a few moments she heard the receiver pick up. "Are you listening?" Catherine asked.

"Yes." Vincent sounded somewhat awkward.

"I'm sorry I had to leave you there all alone!" Catherine apologized. "This case is really important and-"

"I understand." Vincent said.

"Um, I had an idea." Catherine said. "Maybe you could pass the time by preparing for a literature lesson or something. I have lots of books on my bookshelf and paper and a pen shouldn't be too hard to find..."

"Thank-you, Catherine." Vincent said. "Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?"

"What?" Catherine said taken aback. "No – why?"

"You must have had another reason to call – what is it?"

Catherine sighed. "I just miss you, is all. This woman – girl actually, who was murdered, Edie thinks the girl's boyfriend knows something about it. I was just thinking about how lucky I was to have you, and then I felt your homesickness, and..." her voice trailed. "My life has been so good ever since you found me."

"Your life has changed in many ways," Vincent agreed. "For the better in most ways, I hope. My life has changed as well – your presence has changed everyone's lives Below. Your a blessing, Catherine."

She smiled. "Thanks – that's what I needed to hear. I guess I'll go. Love you, be safe, 'bye." And with that, she hung up, missing Vincent's voice the minute she did.

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"Vincent, I'm back." Catherine said, going entering her apartment. "Vincent, where are you?"

"Over here." Vincent called, peeking through the curtains of her French doors.

"What are you doing?" She asked, him nearing him.

"The sun is setting." Vincent said, continuing to peek out the doors. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"It's lovely." Catherine agreed, peeking out from another section.

"It's so amazing how there can be a ball of fire in space." Vincent thought out loud. "It is large, yet it never falls. It is always there, though we cannot always see it. All around us, everywhere, is darkness, just darkness. There is no light whatsoever. Without the sun being our lamp, we'd all be blind."

"Wow," Catherine said. "I never thought about it that way. Technically all around me is darkness."

"Yes." Vincent answered, the sun disappearing behind the horizon on New York.

"Imagine if the sun didn't come up tomorrow." Catherine said. "What would happen?"

"In a short time the temperatures would drop hundreds of degrees below zero. Within days all the plants would begin to die." Vincent said, pulling away from the French doors. "And once the plants died, there wouldn't be enough oxygen for people – the entire world would suffocate, they would die."

"And if the sun was out twenty-four hours a day, instead of twelve," Catherine said slowly. "All the grass and plants would dry up and die, and the same thing would happen – people would die.. Isn't that crazy, Vincent? Someone designed the earth to be dark for a certain amount of time and light for a certain amount of time – things like that don't happen accidentally. Our world must have a creator."

"Mm-Hmmm." Vincent agreed. "It is quite remarkable, isn't it?"

"Do you think..." Catherine's voice trailed.

"What is it?" Vincent prodded her to continue.

"That you were born to perfectly normal parents?" Catherine asked. "That maybe someone, somewhere, who is in charge of such things, decided to have you be born to certain parents, on a certain day, at a certain place? No one is created by accident, right?"

Vincent nodded. "It is possible. No, I don't believe people are created by accident. I will never forget that dream I had that once, the one I told you about?"

Catherine nodded. "Yes – the It's a Wonderful Life dream – the dream you had showing what it would be like if you were never born."

"I'm not sure if that is what people's lives would really be like, but it makes be appreciate my life, and everyone's life, much more." Vincent said. "If one person on this globe had never been born, the world might be different, completely different."

"If Hitler hadn't ever lived, what would the world be like?" Catherine wondered out loud. "Or the Pope?"

"Or Paracelsus." Vincent groaned.

"The world Below would not exist if not for Paracelsus," Catherine reminded him.

"Speaking of Below, what time is it?" Vincent looked over at the clock. "Seven o'clock. I suppose the best time to go home is after ten?"

Catherine nodded. "At about nine or ten o'clock would be a fine time. Right now everyone is still out and about." She sat a box of pizza on the table. "Would you like some pizza?"

Vincent shook his head. "No, but I thank you just the same."

Catherine nodded, taking a slice out of the box for herself. "What are you thinking about?"

"You." Vincent answered honestly.

"Me?" Catherine asked. "Your thinking about me?"

Vincent nodded. "Catherine, I am worried about you. The baby – I am afraid of what will happen to you during the rest of the pregnancy and the delivery." he said the last part with great difficulty, still not overly comfortable discussing such matters out loud.

"Vincent, I thought we already covered the dangers we might suspect." Catherine said. "Paracelsus was just trying to get on your last nerve when he told you all of that stuff about your birth. Fingernails get soft when they are wet, and the womb is a wet place, I hear. No one could claw their way out of the womb – its impossible."

"It is not only that." Vincent said. "There are many dangers in bearing children that have nothing to do with this particular pregnancy. Devin's mother... died in childbirth – several woman Below have since I've been alive. Many children are stillborn, many women are forever weak after giving birth. Tell me, Catherine, if you ever have the slightest feeling that something is wrong."

She nodded. "I'm not all that scared, but I think I'll get more as time goes on. My emotions have been crazy lately…" she glanced up at him. "Wait a minute, you feel all of my feelings, don't you?"

Vincent nodded. "Father found it rather hilarious."

A giggle escaped Catherine's throat. "Oh, Vincent!" she said, nearing him. "I'm so sorry! I don't mean to put you through..." she searched for the words.

"Emotional exhaustion, turmoil?" Vincent supplied.

Catherine nodded, again giggling. "I'm so sorry."

Vincent held his arms out. "I still do not see what is so funny."

Catherine's giggles escaped into a laugh as she gave him a hug. "Oh, how do you put up with me?"

I was wondering the same thing, Vincent thought as he stroked her hair. How do you put up with me?

But the answers to that question really didn't matter just then. What mattered is that they were both happy, and they knew that they would only get happier.

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"It just doesn't make any sense!" Lincoln, a fifteen-year-old boy who lived Below exclaimed the next day.

"What does not make sense?" Vincent patiently asked the young boy. He was trying to teach some of the older children literature, using Romeo and Juliet. All of the other children loved it, except for Lincoln, who just didn't seem to understand.

"The part we just read!" Lincoln said. "The part I've been complaining about for weeks! Why did it happen that way, Vincent?"

Vincent sighed. "Lincoln, I don't know why Romeo did not check Juliet's pulse before he killed himself. But that is not the point."

"Then what is?" Lincoln wanted to know. "Romeo and Juliet are both so weak, so lame. If I loved a girl, and if she loved me" he eyed young Maria across the room, who stuck her tongue out in distaste. "And our parent's didn't allow us to get married," Lincoln continued. "We'd elope, and get married anyways! By the time our parent's found out, we'd be halfway to Paris, Budapest, and Rome for our honeymoon!"

Vincent chuckled at the young boy's seriousness. "Paris, Budapest, and Rome, eh? Sounds like the perfect honeymoon."

"Are you and Catherine going there for your honeymoon?" Eleven-year-old Maria asked innocently.

"Are you crazy?" Sixteen-year-old Thomas asked Maria. "He'd never make it down Fifth Avenue alive – 'Kill him!' they'd say."

Vincent smiled a bit at Maria's being naive, while ignoring Thomas' comments. "We will dream about it, Maria." he told her.

"Since she's having a baby, are you two going to get married?" Susan, another girl from Below, questioned.

Vincent cleared his throat awkwardly, while simultaneously stalling for time. It was something that weighed heavily on his mind, but wasn't something he was ready to speak to the children about yet. "We'll think on it." he said. "Now back to Romeo and Juliet."

"If you thought Catherine was dead, you'd check her pulse before you killed yourself, wouldn't ya?" Lincoln wanted to know.

"He wouldn't be as stupid as Romeo, would you, Vincent?" Thomas said.

"Ssh!" Susan tried to hush them.

"Vincent, would you kill yourself?" Maria wanted to know, her eyes filling with worry.

"Shakespeare knew everything." Fifteen-year-old Penelope said. "Catherine said that Vincent said, right?"

Vincent sighed. "Yes, no, no, yes." he answered all of their questions. "Don't worry," he said, looking into Maria's troubled brown eyes. "I'll always be here for you."

"Forever and ever?" she asked happily.

He chuckled. "For a long time."

"You wouldn't be so miserable that your love died that you wouldn't kill yourself to be with her?" Penelope asked. "How unromantic."

"He's just not self-centered." Susan told Penelope accusingly. "He loves us too, you know. And Father. And Mary. And Mouse. And-"

"Don't forget Jamie, William, Kanin, Olivia, and Luke!" Lincoln piped up.

"And Kipper, Samantha, and the rest of the children." Thomas reminded them.

"And don't forget-" Lincoln was interrupted by Vincent.

"Enough talk of Catherine and me." Vincent said. "Let's get back to Romeo and- no, we'll do Macbeth instead." The less romance in the play right now, the better, he added to himself. Children never cease to be curious, and never fail to learn the word 'tact'. But that's part of the beauty of children – their innocence and curiosity. How do we lose it as we get older?

"Vincent," Maria tugged on his shirt sleeve. "Aren't we going to read?"

"I'm sorry." Vincent apologized, getting back into play. "I just got a little distracted, forgive me."

"Thinking about his loooove." Lincoln said softly with a quiet laugh, nudging Susan who couldn't help but giggle. But it didn't matter how softly Lincoln spoke – Vincent had very keen hearing and could hear sounds that nobody else could hear, so he could hear what Lincoln said as clear as anything.

Vincent raised his eyebrows. "It seems we are all a bit distracted today." he said. "Let us stop for the day – we'll finish tomorrow."

The children quickly scurried out of the chamber, save Maria, who came back over to Vincent. "Vincent, was what they said true?"

Vincent knelt down to the young girl's height. "Is what true, Maria?"

"T-that you or Catherine could die," the girl blurted out.

Vincent nodded. "Anyone could die, Maria –and will. No one knows when. But Catherine and I, neither one of us, would end our lives on purpose."

The girl's eyes looked a little less troubled. "Promise?"

Vincent nodded. "Never, ever – that's a promise." And with that, he scooped her up and carried her out the chamber.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"She came Below two years ago, when she was nine." Vincent told Catherine. It was later that night, and they were up on Catherine's balcony, discussing the day's events – and events to come.

"She's such a pretty, happy little girl." Catherine said with a smile. They were talking of Maria.

Vincent nodded, thinking of the girl's smile that usually shone consistently. "She has had a rough life. Her parents both committed suicide, and a foster parent molested her soon after. Had she not come Below, her life could be very… different than it is today."

"Living Below has changed her life in many ways." Catherine said. "Your entire world seems to change everyone who comes in contact with it. It certainly changed me." She smiled up at him.

"She really looks up to you, you know?" Catherine continued. "And I don't blame her – if anyone in the world could be trusted, it's you."

Vincent sighed. "Children – why must they stop being children before it is their time? Their innocence, the beauty, of being a child…"

"They are wonderful, children." Catherine agreed. "Maria is a lovely little girl, and any progress she's made since she first came Below is because of you, you know that?"

Vincent nodded. "I don't understand that. She does not take to Father, Mary, or anyone else Below. She only seems to trust me."

"She hasn't got a father." Catherine interjected. "And you are probably her ideal – that's probably why she likes you the best. I just hope she doesn't get overly jealous when… when the baby comes. Vincent," she began.

He looked at her in the eyes. "Yes?"

"When the baby comes." She said. "Vincent, I just don't know…"

"Don't know what, Catherine."

"If I'm ready to be a mother yet." She laughed a bit self-consciously. "I know it sounds crazy – I've dreamed of having children my entire life, but…"

"But you didn't expect it to happen this way." Vincent read her thoughts.

She nodded, trying to block the tears that came to her eyes. "I- I just always imagined it… different. I mean, having been married a couple years, having done all the traveling I want to. Not that I have any regrets." She quickly added. "But I just don't feel ready. I don't remember much of my mother –what am I supposed to do? Bake cookies all day and wear an apron?"

Vincent shook his head. "I do not feel ready for the responsibilities I will have to take on either. But I will share with you what I know; that there is a truth, beyond knowledge. Everything you could ever hope to know. And that truth is love. Love has no limits, no boundaries, and as long as you never cease to show it, it will make anyone happy, until the end of their days."

Catherine smiled, knowing that he had gotten the 'there is a truth beyond knowledge' quote from Father, and that he was thinking of him while talking of the limitless love. That was what Father had shown to Vincent through Vincent's entire life.

"I know our child will be loved." Catherine said. "I love it so much already – and I'm not even 'showing' yet! And Below, the children will love the baby too, especially Jamie, Mary, and the children!"

Vincent nodded. "It will be well taken care of, that is for sure. My only thoughts on the matter are right now is that…" he took a deep breath. "Catherine, you and I, even though you our bringing our child into the world, it is still not our time. You must still live Above, in your world, and I must live in mine. Today the children spoke of our dream, our wonderful dream, of someday being together. And though it seems that we need it to be true, now more than ever, it does not feel like the right time."

Catherine nodded. "I understand, Vincent – I do."

Vincent held her close in his embrace. "It will happen someday – it will." He sounded very sure of himself. "We must be patient, for the right time to come."

"And when it does, we'll both know it." Catherine said, surely. "Whether it's in a week or sixty years, we'll know it."

Vincent's shoulders slumped slightly. "Let us hope it will not be that long." He said, referring to the sixty years.

Catherine's laughed rang out merrily. "Oh, don't fret, Vincent. I'm sure that everything will be worked out in several years. So much can change over a short period of time…"

Vincent nodded. "I will never forget when that tower was being built, going to destroy our world - the night that I almost lost you."

"Neither will I ever forget." Catherine said. "For that was the night I almost lost you. Going over to marry Elliot… that was one of the hardest things I had ever done… one of the rashest decisions I've ever made… and when I look back, I know that I'd never be able to walk away from you into another man's arms again – though if I thought it could help your world, I'd certainly try."

Vincent shook his head. "No, Catherine. Do not, please. The pain that it put both of us through…"

"Let's not think about it." Catherine interrupted quickly. "We've been dwelling on enough sad or frustrating things lately. Let's think of what we'll be doing in twenty years, on a lighter note. Let's see. Twenty years from today, it will be June 12th, 2009 – if it comes to that. Some people think the world might explode in 2000."

Vincent chuckled. "I do not think so."

Catherine smiled. "So assuming the world doesn't blow up – our baby won't be a baby any longer. He – or she – will be about nineteen. I'll be fifty-two, and you'll be-"

"Old." Vincent interrupted.

Catherine laughed. "Relatively, yes, we'll both be old. I'd like to think that we're living Below, wouldn't you?"

Vincent blushed slightly at her implying that they'd be living together, but he was getting used to it. Now, it seemed that their dream would certainly be fate.

"Yes, Below." Vincent said. "I'd like for you to be mine before 2009."

Catherine blushed at his mentioning 'her being his', but she knew he was just speaking the truth, and being very open with her, for which she was very grateful. Besides, she was absolutely dying to be his!

"We won't live Above because the pollution will be so gosh darn bad, and we'd prefer to live Below anyways." Catherine said.

"Catherine, the idea of me living Above is-"Vincent began.

"In our world, we can do whatever we'd like." Catherine said. "In our world, everyone is truly treated free and equal. In our world, you have an option."

Vincent smiled at Catherine's imaginative "Alice in Wonderland" type of fantasy, also enjoying her childlike playfulness. He decided he'd join in with her.

"Our baby – not so any longer – travels the world, seeing all the sights there are to see." Vincent began.

"And brings us back postcards from everywhere he – or she visits." Catherine said. "He – or she has a romantic interest."

"In someone Below or Above?" Vincent inquired.

"Above." Catherine said decidedly. "If our baby is a boy, he'll be in love with a French girl. And if it is a girl, an Italian man. They will have their problems, of course-"

"But they always know where to go if they are in need of advice, from someone who has been in their positions before." Vincent finished.

"Our chamber will be like Kanin and Olivia's – overflowing with beautiful candles." Catherine dreamed.

"But we won't be the only people in it." Vincent reminded her. "Children will want to play in their parent's chamber."

"Oh yes." Catherine agreed. "There will at least be a dozen under the age of fifteen."

Vincent smiled. "I should get to work right now."

"Doing what?" Catherine asked, pulling away from Vincent's embrace.

"Fleshing out new chambers for our children." Vincent teased.

Catherine smiled faintly, returning to her position leaning against Vincent. "Oh, we're so lucky." She sighed happily, looking out at the New York skyline. "I'm so perfectly happy right now."

Vincent could nearly hear his heart beating, it was so loud. He still couldn't get over the amazingly endless supply of happiness and energy he got when he got near Catherine. "I'm happy too," Vincent said softly. "More than you could ever know."

"Do you think we'll always be this happy?" Catherine wanted to know as she nuzzled closer to Vincent.

"We will have our struggles, I am certain." Vincent said. "But remember, love is the greatest thing of all, prevailing over every hardship and suffering we might endure. If we remember love that is all that matters."