A/N: Hammering out the rust. One-shot. Sometime in Season 2. It's not much but just trying to see if I still had gas left on my writing tank.

There was still an air of awkwardness between the former lovers even after calling truce in order to catch the villian of their intertwined fates. During the day Catherine worked with other detectives in her department and at night she worked tirelessly with Vincent to gather information she couldn't get by legal means. She focused on one goal even if it meant crossing a line that every law enforcement was forbidden to do. The truth was she needed this part of her life to be over because having her past be constantly in her present was causing her to question things she thought she had figured out. Their constant partnership made her emotions waver but come sun up those thoughts disappeared when she woke alone on her bed but the feeling didn't last long.

Despite both of their efforts to set aside any lingering sentiment about each other the tension between them was undeniable as they work together in his houseboat. Working in public would be too risky for the detective and her apartment was out of the question. The memories of love and pain was still too fresh and it was too much of a risk on her unstable heart.

Any other time this moment would be serene with the sound of water just footsteps away as they worked together just as they use to but now all that was between them was a laptop and another case involving an agency that was still unknown to the NYPD. Not much was said as they sifted through every bit of information they had. If there were any ill feelings between the two it remained unspoken as they pursued yet another beast that was out lose and causing chaos. It was all too familiar but that seemed so long ago. The last time they worked together to take on a beast it ruined their once in a lifetime romance.

Vincent disappeared in the blink of an eye and for months she searched without losing hope even when information of his whereabouts were sparse. Not once did she ever think of giving up even when her own health deteriorated and suffered many sleepless nights. Her friends worried about her but finding Vincent was her priority. It was the only thing she could think of and knew that if the situation were reversed that he would turned the world over in order to find her.

To everyone's surprise the Vincent they found wasn't the Vincent they were searching for. He had the same face but so little about him was familiar. It was a stranger in his body and no matter how hard Catherine tried to make him remember his past and their love, nothing worked on the newly revamped mind of Vincent Keller and the beast that was more perfect than ever. The man she loved with all her heart was now only part of her past and memories. There was no more us, the way they always talked about and dreamt of. All hope was lost after one night that neither could ever take back.

Lights passed by in a blur as cars sped through the tragic scene. Deafening sounds of heartbeats exploded in his ear when she pulled the trigger. The pain came quickly and the throbbing heat spread all over his body. Yet still, all Vincent could do was stay in place and stare back at her. The gun remained in her hands although shaky. Her eyes were the same but her words were harsh as if she pulled the trigger twice.

Catherine fought back the tears threatening to betray her. In an instant, with the pull of the trigger everything that she had been fighting to save for months was slipping away from her. All the times she spent looking for her beloved Vincent only to find a beast she didn't recognize. He wasn't the man she fell in love with or the beast who helped her fight injustice. That man was long gone even before tonight. The man she loved never returned and perhaps never will. Reality was far more cruel and love was too unkind especially to the ones who needed it most.

After Tori's untimely death, they stood on rocking ground with each other. Even though the words were never spoken by anyone Vincent knew that he was to blame. Everything he did in the form of the beast was all his doing and every consequences from it was his to bear. He let the anger be his guide and unfortunately it lead to the death of someone he shared a rare commonality with and there were only a few like them on the planet that existed. If only he had known how it would end, he would have never chosen a life so dangerous especially to those around him.

The road to redemption was a long and lonely one. There were no words and not enough apologies that could take away anyone's pain. Any grievances people had with him they had every right to. It was too late to undo his past transgressions and all he could do was move on with his life. Perhaps this was the life he was meant to live, he was a beast hiding among humans. He had to accept the fact that this was his normal. There wasn't just Vincent Keller but hidden was an identity that would make any law enforcement agency question their weaponry. He was the ultimate weapon but he no longer wanted to be used for evil like the other beasts that was wrecking havoc with their merciless killing and illegal acts that stole millions of dollars from victims.

An exasperated sigh broke the silence in between the two. Catherine looked up from the case folders she spent most of the hour looking through and across the table to see glowing ember eyes staring back at her. Slightly taken aback she pushed her seat back from the table.

"Sorry," a dry and gruff respond came out of his mouth. They had spent the night not only lacking in words also in nutrients. Vincent suddenly stood up from his seat and walked over to the fridge. He grabbed them both a bottle of water each and a bowl filled with grapes JT had dropped off earlier that day along with other food and necessities. He still had one friend he could count on. At least he hoped was his friend as his memories were still fuzzy with many missing pieces. "Eat," he said while placing the grapes and bottle of water in front of her . "They've been washed."

Catherine followed his movements with her eyes as he sat back down and opened the bottle of water but instead of drinking it he put in front of her and grabbed the other bottle he gave her seconds ago. Silence followed before he quickly opened his bottle and chugged the water in one gulp. Without thinking he walked away and back to the small kitchenette. The water wasn't enough to quinch his thirst. He grabbed two small glasses from the cupboard and a bottle of scotch whiskey that he favored when he his mind was filled with complicated thoughts.

Vincent sat back down across from her and placed the glasses and bottle of alcohol on the now cleared table. Catherine stopped what she was doing once she saw him take out the glasses out of the cupboard. It was nothing new between them. Once upon a time they use to do the same in her apartment when they were drained from cases and ended the night with a glass of wine but that seemed years ago. The case folders they had been reading through for hours was neatly stacked and set aside. The laptop remained open but all files closed. It illuminated the small space they shared

"Long day," Catherine answered.

"Same," he mumbled as he opened the bottle of his favorite scotch whiskey and filled the glasses half way before sliding one towards her.

Tired couldn't express exactly how she felt. Exhausted wasn't enough. It had been a nightmare filled months and the man in front of her felt familiar yet a stranger. Sometimes he straddled the line of the man she fell in love with and other times she couldn't recognize him at all. There were no words that could convey everything she fet towards him. Even while she was with him she felt alone. Catherine grabbed the glass without regret and drank the brown liquid in one full swig. The alcohol burned her throat and left a bitter taste in her mouth but still she pushed her empty glass towards the bottle.

Vincent followed suit and drank the alcohol. It was nice and smooth unlike what she felt when she drank it. He immediately filled both glasses again without a word and pushed her glass towards her. The silence was broken when he looked up to meet her gaze. "I won't ask for forgiveness. I know I don't deserve it."

Catherine nodded and picked up her glass. For a while she stared at it as if searching for an answer but there was none. Hopefully someday she thought to herself but she didn't dare utter those words. It would be to cruel. Instead she let the alcohol soothe her soul. It burned all the way down her throat and empty stomach but somehow it felt good.

Vincent never let his eyes wander elsewhere and kept his gaze on her. He repeated her actions then immediately filled his glass. She silently put hers beside his and he filled hers as well before sliding it back to her.

"I'll call you a cab."

She shook her head. "It's fine. There's still too much work to do." That's right they had work to do and that's what their relationship to each other was. She drank her final shot of alcohol and set aside her glass. It was too tempting to keep going and forget about all of the problems that awaited the both of them.

Vincent followed her actions then set aside his empty glass and the bottle. "There's always tomorrow." It was fruitless hope but he liked having someone there especially her. It was selfish to always steal her time even if it was for the greater good. They were both trying to get rid of beasts and wipe out the existence of such a heinous experiment.

"Tomorrow," she repeated just barely above a whisper but of course he heard. With his super hearing he could probably hear her heart that was racing as the alcohol seeped through her body. All she could do was embrace the feeling of her mind slowly being free of worry as the alcohol started to take hold. "It can wait, right?" Her eyes shifted to his and met his gaze. All this time he was only looking at her and she didn't notice until now.

"It's only one night," his voice was low yet it elicited a response from her. He heard a sigh slip between her lips. "Catherine," he whispered.

"I don't want to think about anything or these cases or beasts," she confessed with desperation.

"Then don't. Forget these cases. Forget about beasts."

"How? When there's always you," she answered truthfully. No matter how hard she tried to stay away from the person who hurt her the most their fates were constantly entangled by the one thing that pulled them apart.

End.