**I DO NOT OWN THE SHOW OR ITS CHARACTERS, ONLY BORROWING THEM**

**Thank you all for being so patient with me. This story is coming near an end (only this chapter and then an epilogue) but don't worry, I have already started an AU story called "Guilty Pleasures" it is Rated M for sex themes. I think this is the last chapters for this fic but I still have not debated whether to end it the way the original story ended, or to change the ending. I keep saying ill change it but I keep going back to the original plot. I guess my mind shall take me where I need to go lol. OKAY IM ADDING TO THIS AUTHORS NOTE... I WILL WARN YOU THAT THIS CHAPTER IS EXTREMELY SAD!**

Chapter 14 – Til Death Do Us Part

It has been nearly a week since Vincent proposed to Catherine for the second time in their relationship. He wanted them to renew their vows as a way of starting their marriage over fresh since they had come back stronger in their marriage.

It was New Years Eve and Catherine's illness was getting worse. She was in the stage of not being able to eat anymore... between the pain and being fatigued all of the time, she just didn't have an appetite. Dark circles became darker around her eyes and her skin began fading into a ghostly paleness that showed her sickness even more.

She has accepted fate and found peace with herself to just let go when it came time... and time was the key here and she was running out of it.

Vincent knew she was getting worse and he even started doing research for a cure and called an old friend, Sara Collins, a biochemist and professor at the University to help him. He couldn't just let her go after everything they had been through. They had come so far to just let the cancer destroy them...

He wouldn't give up on her... he would do whatever it would take to save her.

Catherine tried to get out of bed but was just too weak to move. She struggled, pushing and pulling her way up until a pair of strong arms lifted her up and cradled her.

"Vincent..." she said in a low weak voice as she smiled and caressed his right cheek with her left hand, "Maybe a bath will help me feel better, yeah?" she continued weakly.

He wanted to take her place... he couldn't stand seeing her suffer like this and he wished he could just suck the cancer out of her body as if it was venom. But he knew that would be impossible. He had to find another way to heal her.

He carried her to the bathroom and sat her down on the toilet while he started her a bath. She leaned back and closed her eyes. Once he finished adjusting the water and plugged the drain, he turned to Catherine and knelt down onto his knees.

"It's okay Vincent... I can take care of myself from here. You need to get Tyler to school for me and by the time you get back I'll be ready to go to the doctor... okay?" she said lowly yet weak as she cupped his face.

He shook his head, "No, Tyler can be late for one day. It won't hurt at all..."

"Vincent... I'm not completely helpless, just... I'm tired. I didn't sleep well last night." she interrupted.

Vincent's eyes began to water... he feared leaving his wife here all alone. She can barely sit up, much less get undressed and into a bath. What if she fell again and he couldn't make it back in time?

"Catherine, please... let me help you. I'll call Heather and see if she will take Tyler to school. But right now, I'm going to help you get into the bath."

She didn't respond. Honestly, she was just too weak to say anything more. She sighed as she nodded and he began undressing her.

Once finished, he had to take a moment to hold back the tears. She had lost more weight and her ribs were lightly visible. Oh God, please tell me what I can do? hethought to himself as he turned off the water. He sniffed and wiped away a few stray tears before facing her and lifting her up and into the bath.

She sighed in satisfaction to the heat of the water hitting her body. "I'll go call Heather now and check on Tyler. Be right back." he said as he placed a loving kiss against her lips. She leaned against the wall of the shower as she sat in the hot water and nodded. And as soon as Vincent knew that he was far enough away from her, he burst into tears as he leaned against the wall of the hallway and slid down to the floor.

"Why are you sad daddy?" Tyler said, catching Vincent off guard. He didn't want to tell Tyler that in a matter of days his mother would be gone forever. He just didn't have the heart to do it. "Uhm, daddy is just uh... he's not feeling like himself is all." Vincent lied as he wiped away his tears and held his arms out to the tiny child and held him.

Heather arrived soon after Vincent had called her to pick up Tyler for school. When he returned back into the bedroom to go check on Catherine in the bathroom, she had already dressed herself and was barely standing by holding onto the dresser.

"Catherine, why didn't you..."

"Vincent..." she interrupted as she turned to face him, tears falling down her face as she continued, "I'm not feeling so well." and no sooner than those words slipped off of her tongue, she collapsed to the floor. Vincent tried to catch her but missed her by a few seconds. She was passed out, but still breathing, "Catherine?...Catherine, wake up!... Oh, God NO!"

He grabbed his phone from his pocket and frantically called for an ambulance.

It had been 4 days since Catherine was admitted into the hospital and Vincent waited for the doctor to bring him news as he continued working on a cure... pretty much he embraced himself for the worse. His eyes were swollen and wet from crying on and off and he was exhausted from constantly working on a cure. It almost seemed impossible that he would find anything to treat his wife with. But he wasn't about to give up... as a matter of fact, he would give his own life to save hers.

His phone rang suddenly, it was Heather. His heart stopped... did something bad happen? Was this the end of Catherine? He had to answer either way, "Heather, hey. How is she?"

"Vincent..." she said in a shaky voice, "You need to get here, quick. She's not going to make it much longer... she needs to see you... I need you here as well. This is the hardest thing..." as Heather continued to talk, Vincent's heart dropped completely to the floor. She's not going to make it lingered in his head and he no longer could hold back the tears, "Heather, I'll be their... I'm leaving now."

He rushed to find his keys and jacket when Sara called out to him, "Sara, I can't talk right now... Catherine needs me. Besides, we're too late anyways." he said as he approached her, wiping away tears.

"No Vincent, you need to come see this." she stated as she ran over to the computer and other equipment, "I created a cure but you will need to give it to her right away. Look for yourself if you don't believe me."

His heart stopped and started all at the same time... Could she have really found a way to save Catherine? He looked at different charts, and at the computer then back to Sara as she continued, "It's risky, but I already tested it on her blood and in a matter of an hour I tested it for cancer and it was clean. Wait, Catherine? Is she alright?... What did you mean we were too late?"

He hugged the tiny woman and grabbed the vile that Sara produced the cure into, "Thanks Sara, your a life saver. I got to go... I'll call you when I know if it works."

Vincent ran... ran as fast as he could to his car and drove with his flashers on the whole way. During his drive he thought back when he had started the whole divorce in the first place... how dumb he was to even think it. Even though Catherine had backed off from him, he knew that he should have went to her instead of another woman. He should have told her that he felt the distance between them instead of bringing up a divorce. A marriage of 10 years should have meant more to him than he had showed in the beginning of this mess. He knew deep down that it was indeed him who caused her to go quicker... at least he sure didn't help the situation at all.

Catherine... Oh God... Catherine! If she still died despite giving her the antidote, would he be able to move forward? What about Tyler? How will he be able to tell him about his mother's passing? He had no answers for anything... He didn't know how he would move on without her in his life and he knew that Tyler would be even more devastated.

But he knew he had to get to her... he had to make it back to her in time. She WOULD live one way or the other.

Suddenly he noticed in the rear view mirror of his SUV that a car came speeding up behind him.

"Gabriella?" he said in question. They hadn't heard anything from her in quite some time and now shes following Vincent?

She bashed into the back of his vehicle causing the rear widow to shatter. He sped up more, trying to get away from her but lost control of the vehicle and it flipped hitting an oncoming rig and slinging backwards from the original direction it was going in.

Police frantically surrounded the scene and paramedics came soon after. Gabriella was eventually arrested when a call came in that her vehicle had been seen purposely ramming into Vincent's.

Vincent struggled to breathe... he could feel himself fading as he sat in the crushed SUV. A medic came to the broken window and said, "Sir, we're doing everything we can to get you out of here. Just be patient and the fire fighters will be here with the jaws of life to break you free.

Vincent struggled his right hand into his pocket and pulled out a tiny vile and handed it to the medic, "Please... get this to my wife at the hospital. She's dying from cancer... and I found an antidote. She needs it immediately..." he paused to cough then continued, "Don't worry about me... I'll be fine. Just please... get this to her fast."

The medic nodded and handed it to an officer as he explained everything Vincent had told him. The officer rushed it on to the hospital as Vincent waited for more help to arrive.

Epilogue

20 Years Later...

Tyler's POV

My car came to a halt as I pulled up into the cemetery where my parents lied.

I took a deep breath and looked into my rear view to check on my daughter... she was still sleeping from the trip. I looked over to my right, and my beautiful wife was asleep as well. I got out of the car with a handful of flowers and began walking up the hill to visit my parents.

I sat down on my knees as I laid the flowers down onto the cold ground. I pulled out a book from my coat pocket which was written by my mother. She wrote about her experience with cancer and how it changed their lives completely. My father had an affair and planned to leave us. But he knew deep down where his heart lied.

Here Lies Vincent & Catherine Keller...

The words that killed me more than anything. I was too young to really fully understand why my father had to had to die 20 years ago, but in the process, he saved my mother. He gave his life for the ones he loved and to me. He was more of a man... a husband... and father than anybody else I've ever met after what he did. I was angry at the same time wondering why he had to die when he was only trying to save my mother? But through the years I have learned that no good deed goes unpunished.

Reading the things my parents went through in my father's last days taught me that every relationship has trials... big, and small. Nobody is perfect...

My father taught me that love is a beautiful thing... it's worth fighting for it. As the man of the house, you are your wife's and your child's protector... their warrior... their everything... the shoulder to cry on and the one person that they depend on every waking moment. My father had his flaws, but I don't have any doubt that he loved my mother...

He loved her more than anything, at least that's what he showed me.

My mother lived up until 3 years ago. She grieved wondering why he had to die and her live for many years. But I think she realized that he was willing to do whatever it took to save her from the cancer... and he did just that. She was pretty happy in her last years... and died from a heart attack instead of cancer.

I read in my mother's story that my father told my mother that he would give his life for her own if he could...

He got his wish... he died saving her in that wreck that day.

Lessons learned are to love your family unconditionally...

Never give up or turn your back on them when it seems that they have pulled slightly away... you should move in closer to them and try to help them with whatever problems they may have...

Live life to the fullest... you never know when your life could be stripped away from you.

And spend every moment with your loved ones as the same could happen to them...

I smiled as I said my goodbyes to my parents. I walked away and got back into my car to 2 beautiful women... my wife and my daughter.

My wife smiled as she placed a kiss onto the top of my hand, "I love you Tyler." she said softly and I webbed our fingers together as I said, "I love you too."

I drove off and headed to my aunt Heather's house.

THE END...

**Sorry I know it was sad but remember it was totally just a moral story showing that true love will prevail no matter what the situation is. Couples go through many things and a lot of them don't realize what is good until it's gone. In this story, Vincent started out lost and confused about his feelings and gradually fell back in love with his wife. He promised himself that if he had to, he would give his life to save hers. I know a lot of you are cussing me out in your minds but I felt like this story needed to be written not only for morals sake, but to test my writing skills as well. Although I am only human so I am subject to have mistakes in this chapter. Thank you all for reading this and I hope you enjoyed it."