A/N: Eh, someone uploaded the wrong update last night =[

I apologize for the delay but in the past weeks I went from working overtime hours to a much needed vacation and coming back being unemployed. Currently in one of those life situation where we ask, "what do I do now?

Vincent waited with worry as he looked at the many faces that passed him by but none of them was the woman he'd been longing for. None had her had her petite body that molded perfectly along his when they hugged or long brunette hair with streaks of gold that made her unique emerald eyes shine bright especially when she smiled that beautiful smile of hers, causing his heart to race as a simple look from her pierced through his darkened soul. But her beauty was more than just physical. It was her pure heart that made him made his heart race out of his chest and made him feel weak in the knees. No woman made him feel the way she did as she saw pass his scars that made him feel like a monster for all the horrible things he'd done as a loyal soldier. Catherine was unlike any woman he ever met before and he'd seen plenty of them as he and his unit was sent all over the world in classified operations. She saw more than he wanted to reveal and didn't judge him or made him feel unworthy because of the things he'd done in the past.

For a few days he showed up at the park, waited and hoped, only to get stood up by Catherine. He jogged without her and passed by her apartment building everyday but never went up to see if she was home. He didn't want to know if she was avoiding him and didn't have the courage to pick up the phone and call her even though all he wanted to do was see her again. He couldn't bear the thought of her not having her in his life. What if she changed her mind about them and didn't want anything to do with him? How could he possibly forget all about her after everything they went through?

It wasn't usually like him to be that guy, the one who fell head over heels and followed his heart instead of using his brain the way he always did. Vincent Keller was a logical man but with Catherine, all the rules he had about women and relationships were tossed out the window. It was then he made the decision to skip his usual morning run and go over to Catherine's to find out why she was skipping their usual plans though it was unspoken between them. They both showed up every morning until after their unofficial date and first kiss. It was a kiss he still hadn't forgotten as he kept playing it over and over in his mind.

BATB

Vincent straightened his favorite gray Army hoodie as he stood in front of her apartment door. "Breathe," he reminded himself as he felt his heart start to race. "It was now or never," he told himself. If she didn't want anything to do with him at least he knew and had to move on but if only it was that simple. He already started to care about her much more than he should have given the little time they spent together but he knew the moment he laid eyes on her that she was someone special. They had a connection and he knew that she felt it, too. Maybe she was just too afraid to get close to him. "You can do this, Vincent," he whispered to himself. He pressed the doorbell and waited rather impatiently. "Catherine," his deep voice echoed through the empty hallway. "It's Vincent. We need to talk," he pleaded as he ran his fingers through his hair.

A half awake Heather opened the door. Her hair was a mess but she looked just as beautiful as her sister. "You're going to wake up the neighbors! Come in."

"Sorry," Vincent said as he stepped inside the apartment. "Is Catherine here? I need to talk to her."

"Ah, you just missed her. Ran out of here as soon as she got a phone call. Something to do with the big case she's been working on. I was too sleepy to really comprehend everything she said before running out of here in the middle of cooking breakfast. Haven't had my coffee yet when we were interrupted by the phone call. Care to join me, Vincent?"

Vincent sighed loudly as he expressed his disappointment. "I was hoping to see Catherine. It's been awhile since we..." he drifted off as he stared at the couch. "Sorry for waking you. I'll be going."

"You're already here and there's some coffee and," Heather looked over her shoulder to see what Catherine was able to look before running out in a hurry. "Eggs and toast. Hate for it to go to waste."

Vincent hesitated and placed his hands inside of his hoodie pocket. "I don't know. Catherine wanted to take things slow with us and," he shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not sure if it's okay that I'm here when she's not."

"Okay, we'll just ask her then," Heather replied as she pulled out her cell phone from her pajama pants pocket and called Catherine. "I'm sure she won't mind that we hang out. Hey Cat, I'll be quick. Is it okay if Vincent stays for breakfast?"

"What?" Catherine replied loudly which could be heard by Vincent as he stood close to Heather.

"Vincent is here looking for you but you're not here and I have no one to have breakfast with. He says you might not approve of him staying so here we all are waiting for your answer. Do you mind if I have breakfast with your boyfriend?"

"Can I talk to Catherine?" Vincent asked in a whisper.

"Here's the boyfriend. He wants to talk to you," Heather answered and gave Vincent her cell phone.

Vincent took the phone and walked towards the living room for a little bit of privacy. "Hey Catherine."

"Hi Vincent."

"I didn't tell her anything or that I was even your boyfriend," Vincent shook his head as if she was there staring at him.

"Don't worry, that's just Heath being Heath."

"Oh, okay," he breathed a sigh of relief.

There was a long pause while Vincent was transfixed on the couch. Already, so many things happened between them in the living room but yet he felt as if she was already pulling away from him. "I wasn't sure if I should come here or not but I needed to know," he sighed as he thought back to the morning of their first kiss. "Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry if I did."

"No, Vincent. Of course not. I've been really busy with a case. I'm actually headed to a crime scene now. Trust me, I'd rather be there with you two, actually just us two," Catherine blushed at her own confession. "I do miss you, Vincent."

"Oh, good. Well not about the crime scene but about us," Vincent laughed nervously. "I miss you, too, Catherine," he paused and turned to find a smirking Heather. "If you ever need to talk or anything at all, you can reach me at JT's cell. He'll know how to get a hold of me."

"I will. As soon as I have time to breathe, you will be my first phone call. And please stay but be warned, Heather is a bit of a chatter bug. She can talk your ear off but just don't let her interrogate you. She has a way of turning a conversation pretty quickly."

"Alright. Got it. Hopefully next time you can join us."

"Looking forward to it. I have to go. I just arrived at the crime scene."

"Stay safe, Catherine, and be careful."

"Always. Bye, Vincent."

"Bye, Catherine."

BATB

"Hey, lover boy, do you take your coffee with cream or sugar?" Heather teased with a grin as she took her phone back from Vincent.

"Oh, uh," his cheeks turned pink. "I can get it myself. Point me to the cabinet. How do you take your coffee?"

"You're cute and helpful. I see why Cat likes you. I know she cares about you."

"Uh, are you always this honest?" Vincent stood awkwardly as he tried to look away at the same jade eyes that her sister captured him with.

"I like to get straight to the point, Vincent. So I'll get to it now. I love Cat and I want what's best for her. I don't want to see her get hurt again. So if you don't feel the same way about her, leave now and don't ever come back here. I'll make up some lie. We'll have a few sisters night and she'll forget about you. But if you truly care about her, if you feel the same way about her, don't hurt her. After everything she's been through she deserves to be happy. That's all I want for her. I want to see her happy again."

Vincent stood at ease as he stared back into her serious green eyes. "Honestly, sometimes I wonder if I'm good enough for her. When I see that beautiful smile on her face, I think to myself, how did I get so lucky? I know just how special she is, how beautiful and kind, and I'm probably not the only one trying to vie for her attention," Vincent nervously ran his fingers through his hair. "That's why I'm here. She hasn't been showing up for our morning jog since we went ice skating. I thought maybe it was something I did wrong. I wasn't sure how she felt until now," Vincent smiled that showed just how happy he was."Trust me, the last thing I want to do is screw this up."

"Just make her happy, Vincent."

"How do I do that?"

"You already are," Heather answered with a huge smile on her face that made her green eyes brighter. "I'll let Cat know what you said about her."

BATB

Catherine yawned as she made her way up the last flight of stairs. The past couple of weeks had been emotionally draining as a string of murders that shook New York city and frightened its residence, a suspect was finally behind bars after extensive man hours were exhausted by the best and finest of NYPD. She worked long hours with her partner, Detective Vargas, and led the man hunt to catch New York's most wanted, Gabe Lowen. Now that he was behind bars the residence of New York and their finest detectives could rest easy, at least for one night but that was the last thing on her mind. Catherine had a personal life, a handsome military man who went by Vincent Keller, who needed and wanted her full attention.

Although tired and weary, her mind always drifted to the one person that made her smile and kept her sane during never ending hours that turned into days then into weeks before they finally caught a break in the infamous case that caused fear in many. She missed him and there was no denying it. They'd last seen each other the morning after their first unofficial date, exactly two weeks to the day. Vincent called almost every night to make sure that she made it home, safe and sound.

Catherine pulled her keys out of her black leather jacket pocket and wearily tried to put it in the key lock but was unsuccessful. It was difficult to see in the dim hallway and her exhaustion didn't help. Her phone vibrated in her jacket pocket and she welcomed the interruption as she stopped fumbling with her keys. She took her phone out and smiled when she saw who was calling her so late at night.

Catherine immediately pressed the green button to answer the phone. "Hey Vincent."

"Hi Catherine," Vincent smiled foolishly as he stared at the window. The view was nothing like from Catherine's apartment but it was still nice nonetheless. "It's good to hear your voice but you sound tired."

"Exhausted," she replied. "And I just got home or trying to. Can't get the stupid key to go in the lock."

"Okay, I'll let you go then. I just wanted to make sure that you're home safe. Goodnight, Catherine."

"Wait, Vincent," her heart raced as she thought about seeing him again.

"Catherine?"

"Captain gave us the day off tomorrow. I was wondering if you want to come over tonight."

"Are you sure?"

"I missed you, Vincent," she finally admitted. "And I want to see you."

"I missed you, too. I can't wait to see you. I'll be there soon. Bye, Catherine," he smiled and got off the bed to get ready.

Catherine ended the call with a smile on her face and used her phone as a flashlight to help her open the front door. She laughed at herself when she realized that she was trying to use her mailbox key to unlock the door and quickly fixed her mistake. "Heath," she called out as soon as she opened the door. "Heath," she repeated as she made her way into the dark kitchen that was poorly lit by the sliver of moonlight that slipped through the curtains.

A note lay on the counter where she placed her key. Catherine picked it up as she removed her leather jacket. "Went to Sam's. Didn't want to sleep alone tonight with that killer loose in the city. Love you, Cat. Your most favorite sister, Heather."

"At least you're safe, baby sis," Catherine whispered to herself as she dialed her code on her phone and pressed the message icon. It didn't take long to find who she was looking for. The last message she received was from him after the news conference on the capture of the suspected serial killer Gabriel Lowen.

"Fire escape," Catherine typed the message and pressed the send button as she walked towards her bedroom.

BATB

Catherine felt a little more refreshed after washing her face and brushing her teeth but was still too exhausted to do much more than relax. Comfortable in her madras pajamas, she got in her bed and laid down underneath the down comforter that she missed so much. It was the first time in two weeks that she was able to sleep on her own bed without the frightening images in her head.

Since the murder began Catherine barely slept a wink and when she did it was at the precinct bull pen along with her partner or she crashed on the couch after a couple of glass of her favorite white wine. It was the only way she could stop thinking about the murdered women, who made their living in the streets, that was burned deep in her memory. No one deserved to die the way they did, brutally stabbed to death then left all alone. It was an image she could never forget but after a few sips she saw them for who they really were, women who were loved by friends and family. And that image gave her hope, even just for a moment.

BATB

The moonlight cascaded down through her window casting a dim light in her bedroom as Catherine stared out the window, hoping and waiting for the one man who occupied her thoughts, more than she liked to admit. She smiled to herself before noticing a silhouette standing in front of her window. Her heart skipped a beat then raced when she realized who it was.

Standing tall in his favorite hoodie, he waited patiently as Catherine wearily got up from her bed and walked towards the window. After unlocking the window, he pushed it up, opening it and let a gust of cold wind inside her bedroom. Catherine made room for him to enter as he couched low. Vincent crawled in, head first as his eyes searched her darkened room. It was instincts, his military intuition that made him too cautious as if there was an enemy around the corner.

Vincent planted his right hand on the window sill, palm down followed by his left and pushed with his right leg, his movements mimicking a feline ready to pounce of an unaware prey, as he slunk in to her bedroom quietly and had Catherine not seen him, she wouldn't have known that he was there. Hovering over her small frame, he looked down at her shivering body. He closed the window behind him as he stared at her beautiful face with soft features, plump lips, and kind, yet tired eyes.

Catherine held his gaze and stared into his honey brown eyes that she could never ever forget. It constantly drew her in and called out to her as if they've known each other for more than a lifetime. "I missed you, Vincent."

"Come here," his coarse voice echoed in her racing heart and there was no denying how he made her feel. He opened his arms and gave her a look she couldn't refuse, not that she would dare to.

Catherine immediately fell into his open arms and let the warmth overtake her. It washed over her with an overwhelming sense of happiness.

"I missed you, too," Vincent whispered in her ear. "But you should have told me just how tired you are. I hope I didn't wake you."

Catherine shook her head and looked up to meet his concerned eyes. "I wanted to see you."

"You need to rest and as much as I don't want to leave. I should go so you can get some sleep. We'll continue this tomorrow morning," Vincent said softly and he held her tighter as he kissed her lips.

"I want you to stay tonight, Vincent."

"I want to stay but," he started of but was immediately cut off.

Catherine kissed him on the lips, interrupting him. "Then stay."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm tired of always being alone. Aren't you?"

"I haven't been alone since I met you. You're always in my thoughts and my dreams. When you're out there working, I worry about you. There's not a second that I don't think about you, Catherine."

Catherine looped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. "Aww."

"I mean it. Why do you think I was so worried that I did something wrong when you stopped showing up for our morning jog?"

"You could have just called and asked me but I'm glad that you stopped by. Also happy that you stayed and had breakfast with Heath. She really likes you."

"And what about you?"

"Do you really have to ask me that question? I asked you here tonight because I really missed you and I couldn't wait 'til tomorrow to see you."

"You really like me that much?" Vincent smirked as he held her closer to his body.

"I'm sure you already knew that before you even came here. It's probably the reason you showed up tonight."

Vincent smiled and kissed her lips. "I know but it's nice to hear. And don't worry. I really like you, too, Catherine."

BATB

Vincent and Catherine laid in bed facing each other but he over the blanket, like the perfect gentleman, and she underneath the warmth of her blanket. Staring at her made him realize just how much he missed her, the way she looked at him and how her heart fluttered when they were close. It quickly dawned on him just how much he cared for her causing his heart to race with hers.

Catherine was effortlessly beautiful. She didn't need makeup to make her attractive to others, she simply was and that's what he liked about her.

"What?" Catherine asked. "You've been staring."

"I more than missed you," he confessed. "Promise me that we won't go more than a week without seeing each other."

"I promise, Vincent," she leaned closer and softly kissed his lips. "I hated not being able to see you either. I'm sorry."

Vincent shook his head. "It's not your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm glad you're safe but I must admit that I was worried about you. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you, Catherine," he gently caressed her cheek with his fingertips, softly stroking it. "I more than just like you. I want this," he pointed at her heart. "I want us."

Catherine closed her eyes as he traced the outline of her face and exhaled as she felt his breath on her lips. "I want us, too," she barely said above a whisper and kissed his lips.

Vincent withdrew from the kiss and looked her in the eye. "Yeah?"

Catherine nodded. "Yeah," she answered and pulled his head back down, sealing their lips once more.

Sparing no seconds, he quickly reacted and kissed her like no other man had before as he laced his fingers through her long brunette hair as his tongue licked the seam of her soft lips. Catherine moaned, opening her mouth to him.

Vincent explored her mouth with his ravenous tongue as his hand threw the blanket off her and pulled her flush against the length of his body that molded perfectly with hers. His greedy hands kept her close as he traveled along her curves and down the small of her back.

Catherine thrust her hip towards him as she felt his hands underneath her plaid top, slowly crawling up her stomach. As much as she tried to resist his temptation it had been too long since she was with someone. "Vincent," she moaned against his lips and through the urgency of his kiss as his finger lightly traced the outline of her bra. "Vincent," she repeated as her fingers curled around his biceps.

Vincent panted against her lips. "You're a hell of a kisser, too," he smiled coyly at her as he slid his hand down the warmth of her skin. "I didn't mean to get carried away."

"You weren't the only one," her cheeks turned rosy underneath his gaze.

"I promise to be the perfect gentleman from now on. I won't do anything you don't want me to," he rolled them over and laid her down gently on her side of the bed.

"I just want to wake up next to you in the morning," Catherine whispered as she stroked his scar.

"I'll be here," Vincent kissed her lips. "Goodnight, Catherine," he pulled away from her warm touch and tucked her underneath the blanket.

"Aren't you cold?"

Vincent shook his head. "I have my sweater and now I have you," he placed his arm around her. "You can keep me warm," he smirked.

"I'm really happy you're here." Catherine smile in return as her heart raced.

"Me, too," Vincent leaned over and kissed her lips. "Now get some sleep."

"Goodnight, Vincent."

"Sweet dreams or just dream of me," he smirked and kissed her once more.