I do not own CW's Beauty and the Beast or any of the characters.

Chapter 14 – Date

Playlist: Maroon 5 - Daylight

Catherine sat in her parked car for a moment, gathering her thoughts, trying to control her emotions. She looked up at the warehouse, took a deep breath and opened the car door. She looked around to make sure she hadn't been followed. She locked her car, quietly walked over the gravel scattered on the ground and let herself through the break in the chain link fence. It was tricky to do in a dress and heels. She stood up and took a moment to smooth her hair and brush any dust from the ground off of her.

When Catherine got to the door of the warehouse, she lifted her hand to knock. She wasn't really sure of the protocol now. Usually, Vincent forgot to put on the security system and she just walked in. She'd never been to the warehouse on a date before. Her nerves got the better of her and she dropped her hand without knocking. She took a deep breath. After a moment's pause to collect herself, she lifted her hand again and knocked on the big metal door. She could hear the rapping echoing inside the cavernous warehouse.

After a moment, she could hear someone coming. Her heart jumped into her throat and she took a deep breath. The lock was drawn back and the large door swung open with a creak. Vincent stood in the doorway, a smile on his face. Vincent's smiles never failed to knock the breath out of Catherine's lungs. He was wearing a button-up shirt, dark jeans and bare feet. His hair was damp at the edges, as though he had just gotten out of the shower.

"Hi," she said, nervously. The blood in her veins was singing, making it hard to concentrate. She clenched and unclenched her fists behind her back and covertly wiped them on the sleeves of her coat.

"Hey," Vincent replied. He stepped back from the door, allowing her access to the inside. "Come on in."

Catherine smiled up at him as she entered the warehouse. As she passed him, her nostrils flared as she caught a hint of his scent in the breeze from the open door. Vincent smelled good, like soap, a hint of aftershave and warm, freshly showered man. Her heart rate kicked up a notch. She was pretty sure he was listening to it. She couldn't really hide anything from him and, surprisingly, the thought made her smile. She took another deep breath and tried, unsuccessfully, to calm herself down.

Vincent closed the heavy door with a loud click. He placed his hand on her lower back and guided her to the stairs. He stepped back and let her climb them up to the living area. He followed after her.

"Where's JT?" she asked as they reached the top floor. She hadn't been to the warehouse or talked to JT since she had come looking for Vincent that day. She was a little embarrassed by her heart-to-heart with JT and she wasn't sure how much, if anything, he had related to Vincent afterwards.

Vincent took her coat and placed it over the end of the couch. He gestured to the sofa. "Have a seat. JT? He's out with Sarah."

"Oh, that's nice. How's it going? With those two, I mean…" asked Catherine, desperate to keep Vincent's mind off of her racing heart, flushed cheeks and erratic breathing. Vincent went to the kitchen and started working on the food for dinner. He had lit several candles and placed them around the room, concentrating them on the coffee table in front of the sofa and on the dining room table. Many of the overhead lights had been left darkened and the jumping glow from the candles softly illuminated the enormous room. There was a vase full of flowers on the dining room table.

"Well, he doesn't really talk about it much, but I guess it's going pretty well. Third time this week he's been out with her. He didn't come home last night." Vincent commented. Catherine raised her eyebrow. Her traitorous heart started pounding out of control once again. So much for her attempts at containing her emotions. She and Vincent were alone. They had the warehouse to themselves. For the night.

"Um…d-do you need any help?" she asked as she stood up from the sofa. She needed to keep her thoughts and her hands busy. She went and joined him in the kitchen area.

"No, I'm OK here. Can I get you something to drink?" he asked, putting down the knife he was using and wiping his hands on a dish cloth. "Some wine?"

"Wine would be lovely," Catherine answered. At least it would take the edge off of her ragged emotions and give her something to do with her hands. She watched as he poured her a glass of red and put the bottle back on the counter. He went to the fridge and got himself a cold bottle of water. He opened it and took a sip before pouring the contents into a wine glass.

"Is there a reason you don't drink?" she asked, curious. She assumed it would have something to do with the experiments and keeping his emotions in check, but she didn't know for sure and she had never thought to ask.

"I used to, before the experiments. I also drank when I first got back to the States, probably more than I should have. Alcohol lowers your inhibitions, and in my case dangerously so, but I rationalized it by telling myself that it gave me a welcome escape from things. At least temporarily. It actually really messed me up and made it so easy to 'beast out' for the smallest reasons," he replied, toying with the stem of his wine glass. He wasn't looking at her while he made his confession. "The last time I drank was here, with JT. It was about six months after I returned to the States. We'd already had a few beers and we were watching the hockey game on TV. He made a sarcastic comment about something and I took it the wrong way. The next thing I knew, he was crouched down and hiding from me on the other side of the room, sporting a huge black eye. That was the last time I drank."

Catherine had been hovering at the edge of the kitchen as he told her his story. She walked closer to him and put her hand on his arm, offering him some comfort. "It's OK, Vincent. You were just trying to figure things out. It's not like you came with a manual. JT understands. Truly, he does."

Vincent snapped out of his reverie and looked down at Catherine. She looked up at him and smiled. Her hand was still on his arm and he was having a hard time concentrating. He leaned towards her fractionally, before shaking his head, straightening up and returning to the cutting board. He cleared his throat and started slicing tomatoes, his back towards her. Catherine gulped in oxygen and moved away from him.

Catherine propped herself against one of the counters and sipped her wine. She watched him cut the vegetables with some skill. A thought popped into her mind and she decided to ask Vincent about it. "How did you know about the New Year's party?"

"JT," Vincent admitted. "He told me that you had come over here, looking for me."

"Yes, I did. What else did he tell you?" Catherine asked, quirking her eyebrow. She ran her finger over the rim of the wine glass.

"Not much," said Vincent, his back still turned. He chuckled and ducked his head. "He called me on my cell and told me that you were having a party. He said that if I knew what was good for me, I'd do whatever I needed to do in order to show up to your party. Then he called me an 'idiot' and hung up on me. I can't say as I disagree with him."

Catherine smiled to herself. She never would have thought JT would have taken her side in all of this. It was nice to have an ally.

Vincent finished chopping vegetables and moved over to the stove. He opened the oven door and checked on the contents. A delicious savoury aroma floated out from the depths. "I hope you like chicken."

"I do. It smells great," Catherine commented. As Vincent donned oven mitts and pulled a roast chicken surrounded by potatoes out of the oven, Catherine's heart skipped a beat. This was all so normal, something she wasn't used to with Vincent. This was exactly what a boyfriend would do for his girlfriend after he had invited over to dinner. She wanted this with Vincent. She wanted this little bit of normal, this calm between hectic bouts of dealing with Muirfield and all of the other obstacles in their path. She closed her eyes and enjoyed this moment of happiness.

Catherine's daydream was interrupted by the clink of the glass roasting pan on the top of the stove. She looked over at Vincent and was relieved to see that he was concentrating on the dinner and not on her. He lifted the chicken out of the roasting dish and put it on a large plate. He layered the steaming potatoes around it. "Can I do anything to help?"

"You could bring the salad to the table, if you wouldn't mind. Bring the wine, too, if you want it."

Catherine placed the bowl of salad and the wine bottle on the table. She went back for her glass and set it down gently next to one of the place settings. She stood there awkwardly, waiting for Vincent. He did a couple of last minute things at the counter before bringing the entire steaming platter of chicken to the table. He walked around behind her and pulled her chair out for her. She sat down and he pushed it in for her. He touched her shoulder briefly before walking around to the other side of the table and sitting across from her. This was the first time they had eaten together. It felt strange and right at the same time.

They served themselves and started to eat. Vincent was a good cook. Dinner was delicious. "This is good."

"Are you surprised?"

"Well…I guess I never really thought about you cooking at all. I wouldn't say surprised…I'd say appreciative," Catherine said. She took another bite and smiled over at him. His cheeks coloured and he lowered his head. "I've been meaning to thank you."

"For what?" Vincent asked, putting his cutlery down and taking a sip of water.

"For this," Catherine whispered. She put her fingers inside the collar of her dress and pulled out the heart-shaped locket. She looked down at it. "I meant to say something way before now, but we had…other things to talk about. So, thank you. It's beautiful."

Vincent's eyes widened as he saw her wearing his mother's necklace. His voice was husky and he cleared his throat. "It's no problem. I'm just glad you like it."

"I love it. I can't believe you gave me your mother's locket," Catherine said, looking over at him. She reached a tentative hand across the table and laid it gently on his. Vincent moved his hand to grasp hers. He squeezed it lightly. They sat like that for a moment.

"How did you know it was my mom's?" he asked, not taking his eyes off of her.

"JT. He told me that she gave it to you to keep you safe. He also said that…" Here she paused, thinking she had taken the conversation too far.

"What?" Vincent cajoled. "What did he say?"

"He also said that…you never got the chance to give it back to her." Catherine lowered her gaze.

Vincent cleared his throat. "No, I didn't get that chance. However…"

"Yes?" she whispered, looking up at him, her eyes begging him to finish his sentence.

"I think she would be happy if she knew that I had given it to you. It seemed fitting to me. And I hope it will keep you safe."

"Thank you, Vincent. I will treasure it." Catherine replied with absolute sincerity. She gently touched the necklace before slipping it back underneath her dress. She unconsciously patted the spot where it lay before picking her cutlery up again to finish her meal. Vincent looked over at her and smiled.

"Oh…I forgot!" Catherine exclaimed.

"What?"

"Where did you get the picture of me from? The picture in the locket," she asked, extremely curious. "I don't recognize it at all."

Vincent lowered his head and looked sheepish. The circumstances behind the photo clearly embarrassed him. "I took it on my phone at your birthday three years ago."

"What? You were there?" Catherine tried to remember her twenty-sixth birthday. It took her a moment. "I remember that one. It was my first month in the apartment and Heather threw a combination birthday and housewarming party."

"That's right. I didn't come in. I stayed on the balcony and watched. You were so happy that I couldn't resist. I got out my phone and took a picture through the window. It's the only picture I have of you." He said hoarsely. Catherine's heart was close to breaking.

"Let's change that. Stand up." Vincent stood up, perplexed. Catherine took out her phone, pushed her chair out and walked around the table to stand beside him. She put her arm around his waist and leaned into him. Her heart tripped rapidly against her rib cage at his nearness. His muscles flexed under her hand as he put his arm around her. Vincent tipped his head down so it was beside hers. Catherine held her phone at arm's length and snapped a picture of them. She looked up into his piercing eyes and immediately stepped back, breaking the contact between them. "I-I'll send it to you."

"Thanks," he murmured, the moment ruined. "Are you finished with dinner?"

"Yes, thank you. It was delicious. Let me help you with these." Catherine and Vincent cleared the empty plates from the table.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Vincent asked, his hands full of dishes. He piled them in the sink and turned to face Catherine.

"Sure," she said. "That sounds great."

Vincent led the way to the living room, snapping the kitchen light off as he walked by it. The apartment was cast into flickering shadows as the candles provided the only light. Catherine looked at Vincent and quickly looked away. She followed him to the sofa and sat down next to him, curling her feet up under her. Vincent used the remote to select a movie from a long list of choices. "Is this one OK?"

To be perfectly honest, Catherine couldn't concentrate on anything, much less Vincent's choice of movie. He was so near to her and he took up so much of her focus that she felt permanently stunned. She cleared her throat and answered without looking. "Sure. That looks good."

Vincent dropped the remote onto the coffee table and the room darkened momentarily before the opening credits of the movie played. Catherine looked over at Vincent. The candle light flickered in his eyes. He was looking at her. She swallowed, but didn't break eye contact with him.

Vincent leaned towards Catherine. She untucked her feet and moved closer to him. He touched her face and closed his eyes, drawing closer to her. Catherine closed her eyes, ready for this step, ready for him.

She wondered if Vincent could hear her heart pounding, if he could hear the rush of blood chasing through her veins. She would have to remember to ask him one day. But not now. She leaned in for his kiss.

Suddenly, there was a slam. Vincent and Catherine sprang away from each other like guilty teenagers caught in the act. The lights snapped on and a very upset JT entered the warehouse. He let out a stream of very inventive curses and threw his jacket onto the dining room table. Catherine and Vincent looked at each other, their pulses flaring, their cheeks burning. JT was still mumbling as he went to the fridge, got something from inside and slammed the door. He sat down at the table and put his head in his hands.

"Just give me a moment," whispered Vincent. He got up from the couch and went over to sit next to his roommate. Catherine sat on the couch, stunned and unsure of what to do. She couldn't hear much of Vincent and JT's conversation, but JT was gesturing with his hands and Vincent was nodding his head. She stood up and collected her coat.

"Vincent," she called. "I'm just going to go."

Vincent was back at her side in an instant. "Catherine, I'm sorry about this. He's pretty upset. Girl trouble. You don't have to leave, though."

"No, it's OK. He clearly needs you and I'd just be in the way. You should stay here and talk to him. Don't worry about me. We'll see each other tomorrow. Rain check?"

"Definitely," Vincent answered her, heat returning to his eyes. He put his hand on her cheek and rubbed his thumb over her soft skin. She moved her face towards his hand. "Good night."

"Night, Vincent," she said regretfully, before turning to go.

xxxxx

A light tap at the window startled Catherine from her doze. She wasn't sleeping, but she wasn't fully awake, either. It took her a moment to recall her surroundings. Her room was dark and illuminated only by the moonlight streaming in through the window. She had no idea what had woken her. She lay in stunned silence for an instant. Another knock sounded at the window. Catherine started and sat up. She clumsily climbed out of bed, went over to the window and pulled it up.

"Vincent?" Catherine asked. It was chilly outside and she shivered. "Come inside. It's freezing."

Catherine ran her hands up and down her arms, trying to warm them up. Vincent climbed in through the window and stood in front of her. "I just had to see you."

"What's up with JT? Is everything OK?" she asked, looking up at him. His eyes caught hers and she couldn't look away.

"Yeah, he'll be fine," Vincent laughed and rolled his eyes. "I got the whole story out of him. It seems he said something he shouldn't have to his lady love and now he's paying for it."

"Oh, no. Poor JT. Were you able to help him?" Catherine asked, concerned for JT and his fledgling relationship with Sarah. JT was a great guy and he deserved to be happy.

Vincent chuckled and ran his hand through his hair. "Well, it turns out I have plenty of experience in saying stupid things to the people I love. I gave him some advice. When I left he was on the phone to her, apologizing and trying to explain himself."

Catherine laughed. She looked into Vincent's eyes and the look he gave her froze the laughter on her lips. She swallowed and trembled slightly. A light flash of yellow briefly illuminated Vincent's irises. Catherine cleared her throat, "Vincent…w-what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to finish what we started."

Vincent leaned towards Catherine. He placed his hand tenderly on her cheek and bent over her. Catherine took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She swayed for a moment and tilted her head closer to Vincent's. Their lips touched softly and tentatively at first. His lips were firm and gentle on hers.

Catherine broke the kiss and looked up into Vincent's eyes. The surety and love she saw in his gaze took her breath away. Her heart fluttered like a caged bird trying to break out of her chest. She inhaled sharply and reached up for him. He wrapped her in his arms and enveloped her with his big body. Their kisses became urgent and fevered, a push and pull between them.

Vincent opened his mouth against hers and he slipped his tongue inside of her mouth. She moaned quietly and grasped his shoulders. Vincent heightened his assault and Catherine melted against him. She shyly slid her tongue into his mouth. He growled and lifted her in his arms.

Catherine pulled away from him briefly and looked up at him. "Vincent?"

"Yeah?" he rasped, breathing heavily. He was gently kissing her cheeks, her neck, behind her ear. He could not get enough of her: her warm skin, her beautiful scent, her frantic heartbeats. He touched his tongue to her neck and tasted her pulse.

"I love you," she whispered, quivering against him.

"Oh, Catherine," he ground out, carrying her towards the bed. "You are my life. I love you so much."

A/N – I am so sorry that this update took so long. That was never my intent. Real life got in the way of my BATB life, I'm afraid. I hope the new chapter was worth the wait, though…

My muse decided to wander where she would this past week and I was inspired to write a new one shot for you. This one isn't sad like "Forever," so don't worry. It's called "Solace" and it's in the "M" section (*wink, wink*). Go check it out and let me know what you think.

As always, thank you for your overwhelming support of my little story. I'll say this again because I mean every word of it: this story wouldn't have turned out this way if it hadn't been for all of you. In my original plans, "Resolutions" was only going to be five chapters long. You have all inspired me to keep writing and sharing my ideas with you. Thank you.

I loved "Tough Love" (1.14) and was so happy that we finally got our VinCat kiss. Woo hoo! It was pretty hot. I hate the fact that we have to wait through another hiatus, but the promos look very…er…promising. I decided to give all of you a VinCat kiss to help you through the next two and a half weeks. Stay tuned for Chapter 15 and thanks for reading! xA