Survival

Disclaimer: These characters are owned by CBS and the CW network. I mean no infringement of any sort and am only using the characters for personal enjoyment and for others to enjoy as well!

DISCLAIMER: THIS FIC IS RATED M FOR LANGUAGE, CONSENSUAL SEX, AND REFERENCES TO VIOLENCE. IF YOU ARE UNDER 18, SCRAM! IT IS NOT MY JOB TO POLICE WHAT YOU ARE READING! IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ IT, SCRAM! I WON'T TOLERATE BULLYING!

Chapter 17

I ran as fast as I could, running in the opposite direction. Behind me, I heard the sound of his running, indicating he was giving chase. I didn't want him to catch me.

"Damn it, Catherine! We have to stay together!" I heard Vincent shouting behind me. I didn't care, though. I couldn't stand him anymore! I pushed my legs harder, forcing them to move faster.

I thought I had finally gained some ground, when his large body slammed into me, throwing us both to the ground. "Ummph!" I grunted out when my body collided with the ground.

Seconds later, I was turned over roughly, and I stared into brown eyes that looked murderous. Gulping, I waited for him to do something...anything...

Suddenly, I realized that running was a mistake. Oh God, why did I run away!? I cringed, praying whatever he did to me would be quick and painless. Please let it be painless...

He panted above me, and I could feel the strength of his body as it pressed against mine. My traitorous body betrayed me, because I could feel the tingling beginnings of arousal starting to grow within me. To hide it, I stared at him with what I hoped was a loathing expression.

Vincent stared down at me, his eyes flicking over my face. "Are you insane?" he growled out, anger seeping into his voice. "Do you want to die out here?!"

"No! What I wanted is to get away from you!" I spat out, angry at myself for finding him attractive. Hide behind anger. Let him think you are royally pissed at him.

His eyes narrowed, and his nostrils flared. "Yeah? How did that work out for you, huh?"

I glared at him. "Judging by the fact that you are lying on top of me right now...not well!"

I felt his body stiffen, as if he hadn't registered that fact until I brought it up. His eyes dropped down to look between us. Hastily, he sat up, backing away slightly. I winced as I pulled my body to a sitting position. Can't tell he's the quarterback...nah...

He held his hands up. "I'm sorry, okay. You scared me when you took off like that. I just... I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you," Vincent said.

My jaw dropped. "Are you freaking serious?! You...you haven't talked to me in 4 fucking years, but you are suddenly afraid of me getting hurt?!"

He shoved his hands through his hair. "Catherine...I'm sorry about that. I wish...if I could go back and change what happened, I would."

I barked out a laugh. "You...you were my best friend. We shared...everything with each other. And then...one day...you just...acted like I didn't exist anymore. When I came up to you in school, you told me, and I quote, "Buzz off freak." Not only that, but you started dating that bitch!"

Vincent's head dropped. "I know. I... I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "You keep saying you're sorry, but you still haven't said why you did it."

He closed his eyes. "I...I can't tell you. I... can't."

"Can't or won't?" I countered. His head snapped up. He inched back toward me. I stayed where I was, waiting.

"Catherine...please try to understand. There was something I couldn't tell you. Something...someone else found out about." Had he been blackmailed?

"About you?"

His gaze met mine. "No...about you..."

"Me? What about me?"

He looked away for a second, his face troubled. I scooted closer, the need to be closer to him suddenly overwhelming. I reached out my hand, grazing his cheek. He stiffened, before relaxing into my hand. Our eyes met. I tried not to gasp at the fear I saw in his eyes.

"There's something I never told you. Something I never had the guts to tell you," he said, his voice a mere whisper.

I leaned closer. "Tell me now, Vincent," my voice coming out a breathy gasp. I felt the attraction arcing between us. Could he feel it too? "Please, Vincent..."

His eyes dropped to my lips, before our eyes met again. The only sound around us was our amplified breathing. His hand reached out, cupping my cheek. His lips parted...

I wasn't sure who moved first, but suddenly, our lips crashed together. I felt myself falling backwards again, as Vincent's body settled on mine once again. His mouth moved urgently against mine, like a starving man. When he pushed his tongue against my lips, I opened willingly, feeling his tongue swirl within my mouth. My tongue met his, and he groaned deep in his throat. His hands pulled me closer.

My body arched against his, my curves pressed against his hard body. I could feel a hard bulge beginning to press against my core, and I gasped, knowing it was his erection.

Vincent pulled away at my gasp, his eyes wide. We stared at each other for several moments, both of us panting. Finally, Vincent backed away mere inches, his chest still heaving. "Do you want me to apologize for that one?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

"No," I said, licking my lips. "I want you to do it again..." I told him honestly.

Vincent let out a gasping chuckle. "Catherine...you don't know how long I've wanted to do that."

I laughed. "Since a whole 5 minutes ago?" I joked.

Vincent's face turned serious. "Since we were 14."

My eyes widened. "Wha-"

"Catherine, I don't know how to say this without coming off like a complete dick, but...I have wanted to kiss you again since we were 14. I just...never told you because...I didn't want to lose my best friend."

"But you did lose your best friend," I reminded him quietly. He nodded his head, shame crossing his features. "Will you tell me why? After that kiss...I think I have a right to know."

Vincent nodded again. "Alex..." he whispered.

"Alex? Alex Salter?" I gasped out. Vincent's eyes closed as he hung his head. "What did she do?"

"It's not what she did. It's what she found out. It's what she made me do."

"Vincent..."

"Do you remember that party we went to Freshman year? The one where we were all playing those games? Spin the bottle and all that?"

I nodded. I remembered that party very well. It was the last party I went to...before...

"What about it? Did something happen that I missed?" I asked him.

Vincent sighed. "Was I your first kiss, Catherine?"

Of all the things he could ask me, why did it have to be that? My breathing hitched, and I quickly dropped my gaze to the ground. I closed my eyes, remembering...

"Hey Cat! Come on! We're playing Spin the Bottle!" Ashley crowed.

I froze. Spin the Bottle? Isn't that...

I saw the small group of boys and girls gathering around the bottle Ashley had placed on the floor. I noticed Vincent sitting on the far side of the bottle, and my need to be near him overrode my anxiety of the game.

As I took my place opposite of Vincent, I noticed a couple of his other friends elbow him playfully. Vincent brushed them off, and smiled at me. I couldn't help the smile that I gave him in return. I noticed Alex Salter watching us, but I didn't care. Vincent is my best friend. Why wouldn't I smile at him?

"Okay, kids! You know the rules. Who ever the bottle lands on, you gotta kiss. And, there will be none of that pecking of the lips or cheeks. I want at least 30 seconds of full on lip locking. Tongue is allowed, and if you want to take off to another room and...continue, that's cool too!" Ashley stated.

My stomach dropped to my toes. Was she seriously saying that it was okay to have sex in her house? Most of us are only 14 and 15 years old! I'm only 14, for God's sake! Sex is the last thing on my mind.

Suddenly, I didn't want to play this game anymore. I wanted my first kiss to be special. I wanted it to be with someone I liked. I wanted it to be...

"Alright! Gabe, you're up first."

Gabe smirked and spun the bottle. It spun several times and then started to slow down. I prayed it didn't land on me. The thought of kissing Gabe Lowen...blech!

It landed on Clair, and my breathing returned to normal. Thank God!

After they ate each others faces off for the next minute and a half, It was Evan's turn. He landed on Ashley, and she practically leaped into his lap. That display made me want to gag.

I looked up, and noticed Vincent watching me. His face was blank, but his eyes...

"Keller! You're up!"

Vincent grabbed the bottle, and gave it a strong swing. I watched it roll around and around. Finally, it landed on...ME! I felt my face heat up, as my eyes widened.

Ohhhh's and Ahhhh's started up around us. I looked at Vincent, as my heart started to hammer loudly in my chest. He had a small smirk on his face, probably from seeing me blush. He inched his way over to me, before he settled his weight in front of me. I stared into his eyes.

His hand reached out, and gently cupped my cheek. I felt his thumb brush across my cheek, and then he started leaning in. My eyes closed of their own accord. I felt his breath ghost across my lips, and then firm pressure as his lips settled on mine. I stopped breathing.

His lips moved gently against mine, and I finally came out of my daze. Tentatively, I kissed him back, and felt him smile against my lips. He pulled me closer, and I gave myself over to him, allowing him to lead the kiss.

I heard a couple of startled chuckles, and a few people clearing their throats. "Geez, I think we know who will be using a room after this," I heard Zach say.

My eyes shot open, and I pulled back with a gasp. Scattered giggles and laughs filled the air. I couldn't even look at Vincent. I backed up quickly, gaining my feet, before I bolted out of the room.

I ran out the door, racing home. When I got there, I ran to my room, and locked the door. As my heart pounded loudly, I reached up with my fingers, touching my lips. A small smile graced my lips.

I had just kissed my best friend, the boy that I had been crushing on for the last 4 years...

The boy I had wanted my first kiss to be with...

"Catherine, why did you run out? Was kissing me really so awful for you?" Vincent asked, pain in his voice.

I shook my head, the emotions becoming too much. "No! I just...I got overwhelmed. I didn't know how to handle it. And besides...why didn't you follow me? You always did any other time."

Vincent scoffed. "The first time I kissed you, you ran out of the room like your ass was on fire. Not exactly the best way to stoke a guy's ego. I figured you hated it and couldn't face me."

I dropped my head down. "I didn't hate it. I was just confused. I had just kissed my best friend...and I had liked it. It scared me," I told him, half lying.

"I wish I had followed you that night. Who knows what would be different right now," Vincent said, his voice barely a whisper.

"What happened? After I left..." I whispered back. Vincent looked me in the eye. He sighed loudly.

"After you ran out, Alex...she confronted me. After witnessing that kiss, she figured out fast that I had feelings for you. She told me she had pictures. Pictures that she had taken of you in the locker room. She told me that if I didn't do what she wanted, she would show the whole school those pictures. She wanted to totally humiliate you. She threatened you, Catherine. I couldn't let her do that. So..."

"So what? She threatened to show pictures of me? So, she blackmailed you? That's why you two hooked up?"

"They were nude pictures, Catherine! She had nude pictures of you! She had taken pictures of you one day after gym class, when you were showering. She told me...she wouldn't do it, that she would even keep my secret, but only if I dated her...and pushed you out of my life," Vincent said, shame in his voice. "She also made me spread rumors about you. I was your best friend, so she knew people would believe whatever I said. Catherine...I was 14 years old and you were the best thing in my life, and she knew it. It wasn't an easy choice for me, please believe that!"

"So, you cut me out of your life and spread rumors and lies about me, instead of being honest with me, telling me what she had planned! You couldn't grow a set to tell me you liked me and tell Alex to stuff it!" I screamed at him. Vincent said nothing, and I couldn't take it anymore.

I hurled myself at him, my fists pounding on his chest. Tears coursed down my face. "You stupid prick! Asshole! Cocksucker! Motherfuckingsonofabitch! I've been ostersized for 4 fucking years because of you! I was called every evil and vile thing in the book! I was abused emotionally every single day after that! You egotistical..." my rant was cut off as Vincent's lips crashed against mine again. He wrapped his arms around me, pinning my arms against my chest. I struggled in his arms, but he just held tighter. His lips pushed against mine, seeking to dominate. I didn't kiss him back, nor did I push him away.

After a few minutes of this, the fight went out of me, and I wilted in his arms. The tears continued to fall as he finally released me. I stepped back on shaky legs, breathing heavy. Vincent eyed me warily, but stood his ground.

"I deserved that. All of it. Come on, I know there's more you want to say. More you want to call me. It's been building up for 4 years. Hit me with your best shot. Come on, fire away."

I couldn't help it. I started snickering. Vincent raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting that reaction. Once the laughter subsided, I struggled to catch my breath. Slightly weezy, I choked out, "You just quoted a Pat Benatar song!" and then started laughing again.

Vincent's lip twitched, and then he started laughing as well. "Oh my god! I did, didn't I?" he wheezed out.

"You totally did!" I agreed. As I watched him laughing, I was hit with a wave of nastalgia. This was how we used to be. This was what I had missed most about our friendship all these years.

When the laughter finally died between us, we stared at each other, a sense of understanding passing between us. Vincent threw me a tentative smile, and I returned it. He breathed out, sighing in relief.

"Catherine...I can't change what happened in the past, but I'd like the chance to change the present. Can you forgive me?" Vincent asked.

Could I forgive him? For the last 4 years, I had been an outcast because of him. Could I really forgive the hurt and pain he put me through.

"What about after? After you and Alex broke up Junior year, why didn't you say anything then?" I asked, as the question hung between us. He sighed.

"I figured by then it was too late. You hated me by then, and I allowed it to happen. I took the cowards way out. In my own twisted way, I was still protecting you, only this time from myself."

"I've never hated you, Vincent. I was hurt and angry, yes...but I never outright hated you. I made myself believe I hated you, but the fact is, I never really could. Every day, I would look at you and wonder how everything went to hell. Every time someone called me a chink or a bitch or any other vile name, I shrank more and more into myself. Pretty soon, I didn't even know who I was anymore. I had lost myself...and I couldn't find who I used to be after that."

Vincent opened his mouth, but I wasn't finished yet. "Actually, I did hate you. I hated that you left me to face all that alone. I hated that you had been the one to make all of it happen to start with. And I hated...that after all of that...that I still had feelings for my best friend..."

As my words penetrated his brain, I saw his eyes widen. A couple long strides brought him directly in front of me again. "What would happen... if I told you...my feelings never went away? That I still have those feelings, even now?" he asked, his breath ghosting over my skin. I drew a deep breath. The heat of his body engulfed me.

Licking my lips, I looked into his eyes. My body vibrated with expectation. "Prove it..." I whispered.

I gasped as Vincent pulled me against his body, his lips finding mine without error. My head swam with the sensations I was feeling. I felt myself falling as he pushed me gently to the ground, his weight settling against me.

His hands began roaming my body, and I began doing the same, my hands tracing his chest. Tingling began in my toes, and I pushed up against Vincent's body. He groaned deeply, and pulled me tighter against him. I felt the impressive bulge of his erection push against me, and I answered the unasked question the only way that felt right...

The only way that made sense in my mind...

"Make love to me, Vincent...please..."

Vincent pulled back sharply, his eyes full of lust. "Are you sure? I didn't tell you all that to...I'm not expecting you to do anything. I don't want you to think I just want sexual gratification from this. I honestly have real feelings for you. This isn't a game to me."

"I know it isn't. It took a lot of courage for you to finally be honest with me. It took being lost in the woods for it to happen, but at least it happened."

Vincent chuckled. "Catherine, If we do this...there's no going back. What happens between us, It's permanent. I can't lose you a second time. So, I need you to be absolutely sure..."

I swallowed hard. I was about to give up my virginity to Vincent in the middle of the forest. Was I really sure? Or, was it only because of the unknown future? The not knowing what tomorrow would bring? Was I truly ready to give him forever? As I looked up at him, I knew the answer. I knew what I wanted...

Pulling him back down, I whispered, "I'm sure, Vincent. What happened in the past is part of us. It can't be changed, but...regardless...I've always been yours. I want forever with you," and then his lips crashed onto mine.

AN: Ok - we are finally at the midish part of the story. So, finally there are answers. I've actually had this written up for quite a long while.

I hope everyone enjoyed it! Leave me those reviews and let me know you're still out there!