WriterFreak001:

I apologize for the long wait. Real life got in the way (again), but here I am! All I have to say about BATB 2x19 "Cold Case" is that it was an AWESOME episode; totally season 01 feels! :)

Title | Reality

Fandom | Beauty and the Beast (CW)

Description | Catherine learns some heavy duty information from her father, Agent Reynolds when she visits him in the cell regarding Vincent's recent arrest. One thing leads to another, eventually causing Catherine to wake up in a hospital while shouting Vincent Keller's name. Gradually, she is convinced that everything she has learned about beasts was all made-believe to help her cope with her mother's death. Will Catherine buy into the story the doctors are telling her? Or, will she see past their deception and find a way back to reality? If you want to find out, continue reading!

Rating| This fanfiction will be from now on be rated M for language, sexual themes and anything else M-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

POV | Third Person Omniscient

Disclaimer | While CW owns Beauty & the Beast, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

Claimer | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

Reality

Chapter 14

Written by: WriterFreak001

~Beauty & the Beast~

Vincent hated leaving Catherine behind and telling her to leave New York City without him, but he couldn't risk the life of their unborn child for anything—he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he was ever the reason Catherine loses the baby. In truth, they couldn't be reckless anymore; they had another life to worry about and to care for. For all he knew, Gabe could have caught wind of Catherine's pregnancy; that bastard was full of surprises, and Vincent refused to let Gabe have the upper hand. If Catherine was away, Vincent could fight without having to worry for her safety. Yes, she could definitely hold her own in any fight, but with her pregnancy added into the formula, there was more room for error—something Vincent could not afford to fret over.

He hoped to God Catherine took his advice and bolted out of the city but knowing her, she probably followed him the moment he was far enough away not to sense anything. If that was the case, he needed to take extra precaution for Catherine's sake. He wouldn't be mad with her if she decided to follow him; after all, that woman was just as if not more stubborn than he was. Arguing with Catherine is like arguing with a tree; she stood firm in her own opinions and never allowed anyone to sway her otherwise. Her obstinacy was one of the merits he loved about her.

Hopefully, after this was all over, he and Catherine could finally have the life they've always wanted—a normal, well, somewhat normal, life where they wouldn't have to look over their shoulders and worry about a hundred different threats. Vincent's ideal future with Catherine was to live in a small town—or in isolation—and raise beautiful children who could run around in the forests surrounding their home and play with their yappy Pomeranian in the backyard while he shopped for food and Catherine read a book. In isolation, their children would be able to be themselves and Vincent and his wife-to-be (hopefully wife by this plausible future) wouldn't have to freak out about one of their children possibly mauling the neighbor's cat or sprouting whiskers and a tail. Although any child of his would never have a completely normal life, he and Catherine would make their lives as normal as possible. If Keller boy number one couldn't join the local booster's baseball team because he was too fast for the average 7-year-old kid, then in Vincent's fantasy, he would play catch with him or throw a baseball ball to him and let him hit it. Or, if Keller girl number one couldn't go to a tea party with her best little girl friends because Vincent or Catherine were afraid she might "beast out" if a bee attacks their cucumber sandwiches, Vincent would personally take his future daughter (if he should have one) to a secluded rooftop and have a Father-daughter tea party waiting for her arrival.

Vincent smiled at the thought. If their baby was a girl, he would spoil her crazy—even if he had to pay an arm or a leg (metaphorically speaking since he could easily rip someone else's off if he really wanted something) for her spoils, he would do so in a heartbeat. A beautiful girl who looked just like Catherine would be the end of him. He'd either have to find a way to work without losing control OR mooch off of JT again. Surely JT wouldn't mind helping him spoil his riches, would he?

When Vincent stepped into the subway, he sat down and closed his eyes as he folded his arms in front of him. He was in no hurry to run to the shack; Gabe would get his fight. All he wanted to do was take this moment—if it be his last—and fanaticize the wonderful life he could have with Catherine if he survives this fight with Gabe. He made a promise to his fiancée that he wouldn't die, but Gabe was prepared for anything; Vincent honestly didn't know what the bastard had up his sleeve, but he certainly wasn't going to go down without a fight no matter what Gabe has in store for him. Even though he made a promise never to kill someone in cold blood ever again, he wouldn't blink if Gabe just so happened to 'die' in the process. At least Vincent would be able to plea self-defense if he has to go to trial.

As he thought about possible names for his future son or daughter, he realized there was a possibility that he and Catherine would never get that normal life they've always wanted. If that happened, what then? Would they resort to hiding in the shadows or moving to another country? No…that's no life for a little child to experience; a child should want to laugh and play—not hide. Vincent pressed his lips together as he thought of possible solutions. They could live in isolation—in the mountains, preferably—and maybe Vincent could still be that father who can bring home a pink life-sized teddy bear for his daughter or an Instep Fire Truck Pedal Car for his son, but the spoils wouldn't just be part of his fatherly duties. He would have to train his child (or children) in case anything were to happen—he would have to not only train them in combat, but also how to control as well as manage their beastly instincts (if they happen to carry on his DNA) and how to stalk like a predator without killing their prey. Just like with JT, he and Catherine would have to devise phases…if A happens, execute Phase D. They'll need a rendezvous point—somewhere to meet in case either of his family members get separated. That way, if he needs to conduct a solo search party while Catherine takes care of their other children (if they have more than one child), he'll know who to look for. He swore, on his life, whatever future he has with Catherine, he would protect his kin with his life. He wasn't going to run anymore; if he survives this war with Gabe, he's going to make damn sure his child grows up in a safe—well, somewhat safe—environment.

No one save for himself, JT, Tess and Heather should know about the pregnancy. It could cause an uproar in the faction that's trying to hunt him down. From what he had figured out, Gabe was the contact of the Big Bad Wolf Agency—a name JT had come up with a while back. Gabe had deliberately tried to send him to his death—one, when the bastard tried to kill him himself, two, when he told Vincent of the Flame Beast, knowing he was willing to take the bait, three, when he brought Tori over to Reynolds's home on Thanksgiving—he had to have known Tori would have a weird effect on him and cause him to break up with Catherine and fly into Reynolds's trap, four, when Gabe insisted they should incriminate Reynolds, knowing damn well that due to Vincent's vulnerability towards the man, he would go after Catherine's father, try to seek his own revenge only to be shot in the gut by his girlfriend (or ex, at the time) instead. Gabe was a meticulous son of a bitch, that was for sure. Vincent swore he would not give the former / suspended / whatever-the-hell-his-job-description-is-nowadays ADA the satisfaction of the last laugh; no, if he goes down, Gabe sure as hell was going down with him.

He looked at his watch. Only thirty more minutes until his stop. He leaned back against the wall and stared at the flickering subway lights as the train moved underneath the belly of New York City. He certainly would miss NYC if he and Catherine relocated to another state or country, but in order to protect the future of his growing family, he was willing to leave his home and build a new one elsewhere.

Suddenly, his phone started ringing, breaking him away from his thoughts. He pulled his burner out of his pocket and looked at the glowing screen. Catherine. He didn't have to hesitate to answer any of her calls. "Hello?"

"Hey…"

"Is something wrong?"

"I just needed to hear your voice again in case…things go south from here on out." Catherine replied. He could sense her internal struggle of wanting to be with him; he couldn't blame her—he was fighting the struggle as well.

"Catherine, I'm going to be fine." He reassured her even though he wasn't sure himself if that was a possibility. After all, Gabe was declaring war on him.

"You know I'm all for you fighting for us, but Tess called; she said Judge Gavin has made a few calls and recently learned that Gabe was the last person to see my father before he conveniently went missing…. One of the guards found bullet casings and a lot of blood in my father's cell, but there was no body. The last person to see my father was Gabe—the casings were a match to one of his guns. For killing my father, a former FBI agent—regardless of his conviction—the FBI are now searching for Gabe. Those casings were enough to give the FBI a warrant to search Gabe's loft. They did, and found an antique mace hidden in a safe which confirmed that Gabe killed Leonard Adelson, the carriage driver that was supposedly killed by the vigilante…, but that's not all. They found files on Thomas Chandler—with a big red X on his picture…. He also had files on my Mom—same thing with the X. My dad too. He had files of you, my sister, Tess, JT, me, FBI Agent Landon, Tori…and…Alex."

"Alex? He didn't even know Alex." Vincent furrowed his eyebrows. Sure he wasn't in love with his ex-fiancée anymore, but he still cared for the woman.

"Alex apparently has been on his radar ever since you enlisted, Vincent. What if Gabe has been double-crossing all of us from the beginning? What if those pills weren't to help him control his beast, but just to suppress it? He could have been faking his resistance…."

"Catherine, if Gabe was a beast, I would know."

"I know, Vincent. I know. But just because he lost his beast doesn't mean he's not useful to that agency anymore. Think about it, he wanted you to get rid of those beasts…, and he practically tried to send you to your death multiple times…. What if he's the one who is trying to erase Muirfield's mistakes so that this other agency can move forward with better beasts? All this time, he could have been the one who recruited my father for the task—without letting my father know it was him. It's possible, isn't it?"

"Anything is possible, Catherine. It's a stretch, maybe, but if that's what your gut is telling you, then I'm not going to argue. So…Gabe has been our enemy this whole time…. No offense, but what was he trying to gain by dating you?"

"Trust, maybe? I don't know…. Maybe he was just trying to distract you…. Knowing that I was with him, it made you vulnerable…. I bet he wanted you to lose your humanity, Vincent. That way, he could do everything in his power to terminate you once and for all."

"That bastard." Vincent cursed under his breath. "Catherine," his eyes widened, "Where are you right now?"

"The dungeon…why?"

"If Gabe knows anything about our baby, he's going to want to try and destroy him or her. We can't have that happen. Get out of there immediately; you have my army bag with you, right?"

"Yes."

"Good. Go to the zipper pocket; there should be a folded piece of paper with an address written on it. Leave the dungeon immediately, find a cab and tell him or her to take you to that address as if his or her life depended on it. Don't tell anyone else where you're going. I'm going to meet you there…; if Gabe wants a war, I'm going to leave him to the FBI. I'll be there in an hour; call me when you arrive. There'll be a landline. Okay?"

"Okay…. Promise you'll be there?"

"I swear on my life. I love you."

"I love you too." Catherine replied before Vincent ended the call. He noticed the subway had stopped; he raced to the door and sped out of the train, stepping onto the platform. He had to get to Catherine as quickly as possible. What the hell was he even thinking leaving her like that? If anything, Gabe would get to her first before getting to him. He dialed JT and told him to get the hell over to Phase R's location ASAP—there was no time to lose.

About thirty minutes out, he felt someone shadowing him. He knew if he ran too fast, he could risk exposure as well as leading the shadow right to Catherine; he couldn't have that. So, he zigzagged about the Catskills, leading the shadow on a wild goose chase. If the shadow wanted to hunt, Vincent would give him something to hunt.

"VINCENT!" a familiar, unwanted voice shouted. "IF YOU CARE ABOUT CATHERINE, SHOW YOURSELF!" Vincent didn't answer. He stayed hidden in the shadows. Gabe was getting desperate; he could sense Gabe's desperation almost as easily as he could smell the fear and sweat emanating off of him. "I KNOW ABOUT THE PREGNANCY! IF YOU DON'T SHOW YOURSELF AND SURRENDER, I'LL MAKE SURE THE UNBORN CHILD SUFFERS.

Vincent's eyes glowed at Gabe's threat.

Gabe spotted him. "THERE!" He shouted and pointed in Vincent's direction. Several men shot at his direction; he jumped upward and climbed up the tree. Then, he jumped from trunk to trunk, hoping he was high enough where Gabe and his goonies couldn't fire at him.

"VINCENT! I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE!" Gabe shouted. What Vincent wanted to know was how Gabe caught onto his trail that fast in the first place. There were two explanations—Gabe was a beast again or Gabe had been following him from a safe distance. In either case, Vincent didn't like not knowing he was being followed. What if Gabe had overheard his conversation with Catherine earlier? "IF YOU REFUSE TO SHOW YOURSELF, I'LL NOT ONLY DESTROY YOUR ABOMBINATION, BUT I'LL ENSURE YOU'LL NEVER SEE CATHERINE AGAIN!"

As much as Vincent knew Gabe was bluffing, he still hated sound of those words echoing from the bastard's mouth. If Vincent wasn't so worried about Catherine and their baby, he would have taken a chance at Gabe by now.

Vincent figured it would be easier to move on the ground than create nose in the trees. He slowly climbed down, hoping to God that Gabe wouldn't spot him. He stepped on a twig when he hit the ground. Damn! Another round of firing. He barely escaped that round; one bullet nicked his arm.

Escaping Gabe was going to be harder than the thought.

~Beauty & the Beast~

"What's taking him so long?!" JT paced about the cabin floor while Tess and Catherine sat at the table and calmly waited for Vincent. "He said he would be here soon! It's been like two hours!"

"Maybe he was closer to the shack than we thought; it would take about an hour and a half to two hours to get here, JT." Tess reasoned. "He's probably dealing with wind resistance."

"Wind resistance?! The dude can freakin' create a tornado with how fast he can run! He could be here in twenty minutes if he pedaled his feet fast enough! How am I the only one who's worried about him?!"

"Of course not, JT." Catherine shook her head.

"Yeah, we just know how to manage our heads better." Tess nodded. She stood up and walked over to JT. "He's fine. Let's go check the navigation on his phone on the computer in the other room. Perhaps it'll help us figure out where he is." Tess pulled JT with her to the other room while Catherine stared out the window and touched her lower abdomen. It was storming out; rain pounded against the earth and thunder roared across the sky as lightening flashed like symbols in classical symphonies.

"Vincent…" she muttered. "Where are you?" She touched the windowpane and pressed her forehead against the glass. "I have to find him…" She grabbed her jacket, pulled it on and raced out the door, running into the woods. She didn't know why, but for some reason, she knew where Vincent was. Perhaps it was because she was pregnant, and the baby can sense his or her daddy in the area. She felt like Vincent needed her, and she wasn't going to wait and find out whether or not her fiancé would make it.

~Beauty & the Beast~

As Gabe and his unit continued to circle around Vincent like vultures, he had no chance of escaping their guns unscathed. They were closing in on him—even if he could out run them or jump the hell out of there, he could easily be shocked by lightening in this death-like storm, and then where would he be?

At this point, he only saw one option for him—kill or be killed. If he tried to only wound his hunters, they'll find ways to strike back. He couldn't risk any of them finding Catherine and hurting her. He would rather spend an eternity on the run and keep her safe than to be responsible for a hoard of men hurting her in any way. He owed his son or his daughter a fighting chance.

He knew what needed to be done.

It was now or never.

And he had only one motive in mind as he unleashed his beast: family.

Just as Vincent was about to slaughter every single one of the men who agreed to harm his baby boy or baby girl, Gabe shot everybody, blowing their heads off. Blood splattered everywhere, even onto Vincent. "What was that for?" Vincent suddenly said as he walked out of the shadows.

"Insurance." Gabe shrugged. "They did their parts—they were liabilities I couldn't have on my plate."

"Well, at least that made my job a little easier." Vincent's eyes glowed as he approached Gabe. "Now I'll only have one kill on my conscious."

"You sure Catherine will appreciate you killing a man she used to have sex with?" Gabe smirked. "I highly doubt it."

"She encouraged me to end things once and for all…killing you would certainly do that." Vincent smirked. "But, I'm not the same Vincent anymore, Lowan. Rest assured, you'll still be breathing when I'm done with you." Vincent disappeared and reappeared right in front of Gabe's face before landing an uppercut, sending the former ADA backwards. Gabe coughed and spat blood.

"Is that the best you can do?" Gabe stood up, wiping the blood off of his lip. "I mean, yeah, that hurt like hell, but I thought you don't want me standing."

"I'm just getting started," Vincent held back on his strength and grabbed Gabe's head before ramming his knee into the man's face before tossing him into the air and thrusting him against another tree trunk. "That's for screwing with my life and with Catherine's!" He blurred up to Gabe and jabbed his elbow into Gabe's right side of his chest, hindering the former ADA's breath. "That's for being a world class asshole!" Vincent kicked Gabe in the balls. "And that's because I just don't like you."

Gabe was in no condition to stand or walk; Vincent made sure the suspended ADA's legs were broken so that when Vincent called Judge Gavin, the FBI would be able to find him with ease. Vincent turned around and paused. "Catherine…" How much of that did she see? Would she see him as a barbarian? A beast of his true nature?

In seconds, she ran to him and pinned him against the wet ground. "I'm so glad you're okay!" she kissed his nose, his cheeks, his eye lashes, his forehead and lips. "I felt sick, and I couldn't wait for you anymore." Catherine held him close. "Are you okay?"

He caressed her face. "I'm okay." He kissed her again. "Come on, let's get out of here; I'll call the judge once we're out of here and tell him where to pick up Gabe."

"Is he…dead?"

"No…just badly injured…rightly so, though."

Catherine smiled. "I know how much you hate him…and please know I hate him as well, but I'm glad you didn't kill him."

"I couldn't…. If I had, I wouldn't be any better than him…. He killed all of his sniper goonies in cold blood." Vincent frowned before kissing Catherine's brow.

"Speaking of sniper, where's your things?" Catherine raised an eyebrow.

"I tossed them on my way to the Catskills. I figured they would slow me down." Vincent replied. Suddenly, he heard shuffling. He pulled Catherine to her feet and looked at Gabe. Gabe was crawling—actually, he was dragging himself towards them. "Gabe, it's over. Just stop before you kill yourself."

"I will have my revenge." Gabe coughed. He picked up one of the sniper guns and aimed it at Catherine. Thank you for bringing me the prize, Vincent.

In seconds, he fired. Vincent pushed Catherine out of the way, grimaced when the bullet pierced his shoulder and beasted out in retaliation. Before he could even control his beast, he grabbed the sniper gun, broke it into a million pieces and ran his fingers through Gabe's chest—exactly like he killed Curt Windsor. Vincent froze as he held Gabe's heart in his chest. His hands were shaking. Catherine raced over to him and knocked the heart out of her fiancé's hands before pulling him away from Gabe's corpse. "I didn't mean to…" he stuttered.

"I know…" Catherine nodded. "You were acting on impulse and were protecting me. I understand Vincent."

He looked down. He could see Gabe's blood all over him. He immediately took off his shirt and threw it down to the ground. He bent down and tried to wipe the blood off. The shirt wasn't enough. Catherine placed her hands over his and stopped him from moving so frantically. "Vincent, calm down. You need to calm down. The rain will wash away any evidence of you being here."

"Don't you see, Catherine?" He turned to her and gripped her shoulders. She wasn't afraid. "I killed him the same way I killed Curt Windsor. Whatever evidence—if there was any—Gabe had used against me to have me arrested, will coincide with what just happened here. Gabe turned me in, and this is what happened. They're going to find the pattern, Catherine."

"No they're not." Catherine shook her head. "We are going to handle this the same way we handle everything else."

"How? We can't dump them into the Hudson or dig a pit and throw them in there…. It's too wet to burn the bodies; Catherine, there's no out for me this time…." Vincent raked his hands through his hair. "I've gotta leave for good."

"Then I'm going with you." Catherine cupped his face.

"No. I couldn't ask that of you—of our baby, Catherine. Our child needs to grow up in a safe environment. No one has to know who the father is. I leave, and you and our baby will be safe."

"You can't know that."

"You're right, but it's the best option out there. JT can protect you two—and Tess. Catherine, Gabe's murder will be led back to me—then I'll be hunted by the FBI. Then I'll be recruited if I'm found—and tested on. The cycle will never end! I need to leave and say goodbye for good." Vincent gripped her shoulders, devastated with everything that has been happening.

"No!" Catherine slapped Vincent's cheek. "If you're leaving, I'm coming with you. I'll give birth under a bridge if I have to, Vincent. I'm not going to raise our baby without him or her knowing about you. He or she needs a father—especially if our baby carries on your beastly DNA. We run together or we come forward and turn ourselves in. Your pick."

Suddenly they heard choppers in the air.

"Fine. Let's go. Come on." He grabbed her hand. She pulled back, though. "What is it?"

"The FBI will be here within minutes, Vincent. There's no way we'd be able to outrun them if I'm with you. I'll stay here for the time being; you need to go." Catherine pushed him away from her.

"No. Not after the fuss you made. You're coming with me. You're right, we're stronger together; this way, I can protect you and our baby from external threats." Vincent grabbed her hand again and started pulling her along with him. They ran for several minutes, but Catherine had to stop and catch her breath. He picked her up and they ran for about an hour before Vincent received a call. JT. JT told them a nationwide manhunt was in search for him due to Gabe's murder. Catherine couldn't be the one to slow Vincent down so she convinced him to stop and rest for a while. They found their way underneath a bridge. Catherine told Vincent that no one can find out about their baby—especially due to this nationwide hunt for him. That convinced Vincent go on without her; however, he requested one thing before leaving—a night of love and passion. If this was going to be their last moments together, he needed to make it damn well worth it.

And that's what they did—they made their night damn well worth it before Vincent disappeared the next morning, leaving Catherine and their unborn child underneath the bridge. Catherine knew he had already left when she woke up. She refused to cry. She walked back to the cabin—it took her a half day, at most. Tess and JT jumped out of their chairs and greeted her, wondering where the hell Vincent was. She told them he was gone indefinitely. She told them everything that happened, causing JT to digest a handful of TUMS and Tess to hold her best friend as she cried in her arms.

~Beauty & the Beast~

WriterFreak001:

AND THERE IS ONE MORE CHAPTER!

I hope you liked this one! I kind of threw in a few things from the previous episodes.