Author's Note: Hey y'all, hope you enjoying the winter weather. It's a bit crazy inside and outside!

This was originally Chapter 8 but I decided to move this chapter down from the list as it's kind a stand alone. But, a very important stand alone. It might help to explain a important character in this series better.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER 9

Gabe Lowen returned to his tidy workplace after spending less than an hour at the crime scene. When he first arrived there, the ADA became very annoyed with the officers who were surrounding the area. Sure, they were following standard protocol as they put up the yellow tape, took pictures, and told him that it was just like any other case out there as they had to wait in line for the medical examiner to review the body.

However, that was the problem: this case was not a normal case at all. Once he took a look at the body, the signs were there to indicate that this was another beast attack. Something he feared that would continue to happen.

The curly-haired man looked at the clock. It was only three o'clock in the afternoon. His special task force will have to come back in an hour to report today's findings. He was anxious about their reports. It could mean that there is another beast plaguing the city once again. And that beast was certainly Vincent Keller! He was sure of that as the only other beast that Gabe knows of, besides Vincent, can successfully control their abilities.

Ah yes, Curt Windsor, one of the first people to be injected with Muirfield's cross species DNA. A cunning business who donated countless amounts of money to the ruthless agency since its foundation, Windsor volunteered as a test dummy for the project. Although scientists viewed as a failure at the start as his DNA didn't change immediately, the millionaire's began to show signs of beast-like abilities over time.

He remembered when he first heard of Curt Windsor when living at that semi-fancy manor. As a beast-human child, Gabe overheard Dr. Chandler talking to one of agents about the businessman's horrible crimes. "I can recall how her face became twisted and distraught whenever the agents mentioned that old fool's name," Gabe assumed as he was sitting at his desk with his elbow propped on the top part and his fingers covered his mouth, "It was later on when I was researching about other beasts that I learned that Curt Windsor had used his abilities to kill anyone who was opposed to him. He wiped out any competition by ripping his opponents' hearts straight out like it was child's play. The police back in the 80s and early 90s. when Windsor committed the majority of his crimes, were stunned and clueless about what happened to each victim. They also had limited resources and had to label each crime as a cold case. I remember those cases being brought up last spring when Joe Bishop and I rounded up the entire police department to search for Vincent."

Gabe pondered on Curt Winsor a little more. He wondered what was the maniac billionaire was up to these days. "I heard that once he finished his crime spree, he retreated back to his mansion and hid himself from the outside world. Only the board of directors from his company and any Muirfield agents might have a chance to meet with him at the mansion once in a blue moon. I also heard that he was able to find a wife or lover and they produced a daughter together. I wonder she knows about her father or lineage. Maybe I should pay a visit to old man Windsor to see if he isn't guilty of this new crime," Gabe toyed with the idea a bit as he began to type Curt Windsor's name in the police database when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," the suave ADA commanded lightly as he looked up to see who was at his door. It opened briskly with the new captain stepping into the office. "Good afternoon, Mr. Loren," McIntyre warmly greeted, "I am here to see if there is any update to the investigation on that jogger's death." Gabe sighed, didn't he tell the whole police department that he would issue a statement before five o'clock today. It was too early for a report, even the team he sent out event didn't say a word yet about their findings.

Gabe replied, "Look, Captain. I know you are anxious about what my team has found. But, I told everyone, even the Chief of Police, that I will send a statement about what my team investigated today at five o'clock promptly. It's impossible to tell you or anyone else now because I have no information. Please Captain, with all due respects, can't you wait until that time?"

Brian McIntyre flashed an irritated look at the ADA. "But, I want the information now," he argued silently against Gabe's instructions, "I have to know if it's the Beast's doing or not. The head of Muirfield is expecting me to tell him the answer quickly. He has been harassing me all day through phone calls, texts, and emails. Well, if you want play a game, Mr. Lowen. It's a game that we shall play." At that thought, the Captain's mood took a sudden turn as he had a big smile on his face. "You are right, Mr. Lowren, where are my manners. I shouldn't be so impatient about a delicate process. Just let me know when you are ready for the daily report. I am just dying to hear about it." McIntyre chuckled inwardly at that last pun.

"Of course, Captain. You will be the first one to hear about it," the black-haired man replied with an annoyed tone. He casually stood up from his chair and lead the temporary captain to the door, "If I have any questions or comments on this case that concerns you, I will let you know immediately. Oh, look at the time! Looks like it's time to call the taskforce to remind them to report to my office in thirty minutes time. If you excuse me, I would like to make that phone call in private." The two men exchanged smirks at each other as McIntyre exited the office with no hesitant.

As soon as the noisy Captain was out of sight, Gabe closed the door tightly and leaned against it, sighing heavily. It was the first day on the job for the new Captain and he was already starting to annoy the heck out of the middle-aged ADA. "Why is he so desperate for the information of the dead jogger's case," Gabe mused as he rolled his eyes and stared at the landline phone sitting on his desk, "Hopefully, he wasn't like this at the other precinct. I specifically asked for someone like him because he was on the lead investigator for Special Crimes in Precinct 86. I remember briefly meeting him as he was a supporting detective for our beast manhunt last spring."

Gabe continued to think a little bit more. He was trying to figure out McIntyre's true intentions. He secretly wished that any part of the Captain's plan didn't involve Muirfield or, more importantly, Catherine.

Oh god, if that guy ever lays a finger or has ill intentions towards that woman, Gabe would do everything in his power to seek revenge. But, what was "everything in his power"? He couldn't just instantly transformed into a beast anymore. He lost his abilities after he was rescued from the pits of Hell from a beautiful long-haired detective.

He remembered that night so vividly, like it happened yesterday.

"Come on, work. Damn it!" was the first words he could barely recognized as Catherine yelled at the machine. She was trying to restart his heart by using a pair of manual defibrillator paddles. He noticed that there was some sort of mobile heart rate monitor attached to the skin around his heart. He could hear the machine started to pick up a pulse by indicating a sound.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The first thing that the black-haired man noticed was that the sudden beeps from the heart rate monitor broke though Cat's crazed conscious. "He is finally alive," he listened as the beautiful woman next to him exhaled as she put the paddles down and gingerly turned off the machine. She neatly packed the machine back into the box and unwinded by sitting down with her arms stretched out far from her body as her hands were firmly planted to the ground. That is how he noticed her when he cracked one of his eyes open and saw how exhausted she was.

"Ca...th...er...ine?" he began to speak in a broken pitch as he was trying to regain his voice. Once he started to utter the woman's name, he noticed that his throat was bone dry and had a hard time gathering the energy to talk. It felt like forever since he used his voice as he didn't recognize it at first. "Oh god, how long was I unconscious?" he thought as he fully opened both eyes and turned his head weakly to look at Catherine. "Wa...ter," he begged in hush tones as he made eye contact with her.

The middle-aged beauty jumped in shock at the sound of his voice. He was truly alive! But, she couldn't get too work up on the sudden revival of the guy who had threatened to kill her and take the heart of her beloved beast. Could she ever forgive him for that?

The last few hours were emotionally traumatizing for her, thanks in part to him. Nevertheless, she needed him now. He was the only person or beast that could find Vincent. She couldn't risk a failed relationship with him based on current animosities.

The detective threw the idea of ever forgiving Gabe for his transgressions to the back to her mind as she searched her purse for something to drink. "Oh shit, I didn't pack a water bottle this time," she chided quietly. She realized that there must be running water and a couple of cups to use in the manor's kitchen. Catherine stood up and started to run towards the kitchen, discreetly informing Gabe of her plans, "I will be right back. I am going to go to the kitchen and grab you a glass of water. Stay right there and Hold. On. Tight." She emphasised the last part strongly as she hoped that he wouldn't use his self-healing ability quickly and run away from the scene.

"I promise, I wouldn't" he promised as he closed his eyes as he was still tired from the lack of energy. He still couldn't believe that he was still alive! All thanks to the detective from Joe Bishop's precinct who loved another beast that he was going to kill for his cruel intentions. At this point, he did feel a little guilty for putting those two in a dangerous peril today. However, if he could have the heart of Vincent Keller, the black-haired man's wishes could come true finally; the ability to become human. Something he dreamed of since he learned from Dr. Vanessa Chandler that he was an experiment lab rat for Muirfield as they turned him into a ruthless creature. He wished that Catherine, of all people, would have compassion for what Muirfield did to him.

Speaking of loved ones...

Oh god, Tyler! He could recall her death clearly as she was killed instantly by several gunshots from a mysterious sniper while confronting Vincent and Catherine on their escape. He silently began to mourn her death as he tried to open his eyes to search for her body to the best of his ability. Tyler was one of the few people who understood and accepted for what he was. He also loved the way she tried to help him out by smuggling drugs from an unknown Muirfield office in the New York City area. She was really brave as Tyler risked her life, posing as a agent for the hellish organization in order to have him feel normal. He would recount the recent tales she told him at his apartment about the times that she narrowly escaped the office as higher ups began to suspect that she was a double agent. She was brilliant though, always keeping a poker face during the interrogations and successfully made Muirfield that she wasn't an actual double agent. Her candid bluffing always rescued her from death.

"I have to find her body to give her a proper burial," Gabe thought as he cracked his eyes wide open once more as he tried to sit up with the low amount of energy he had. He felt a little dizzy but shook it off with the determination he now held. Haphazardly, he began to search for her rose petal scent throughout the front yard. He closed his eyes and pulled her scent from memory as he focused all the energy he held on searching for it. However, he couldn't find it! He tried harder and harder. It couldn't be hard right? Tyler always wore heavy perfume whether she headed outside. But, Gabe couldn't find it! Has it been too long since she died?

If the suave ADA couldn't find Tyler by his ability to smell from far away, then he had to come up with another way. He couldn't use his amazing hearing skills. And, he didn't possess the ability to see things from far away or like an X-ray, that superpower only belonged in the comic books that he loved to read as a child. Gabe guessed that he would have to do things the old-fashioned way.

The olive-skinned ADA stood up gently, trying to ignore the fact that he was far too weak to stand. His knees were trembling as a sudden feeling to faint came over the ADA as he started to trudge towards the front door. the area he remembered that Tyler was murdered at. The man gathered all his attention to reaching his destination that he didn't notice Catherine came back from the kitchen with a glass of water and some bread and was standing behind, looking slightly pissed.

"Didn't I fucking tell you to hold on tight and don't move? I haven't fully forgive you for what you done to me and Vincent. If it wasn't for your selfish intention of killing Vincent so you can have his goddamn organs, we probably wouldn't be in this predicament. Vincent and I would be enjoying a normal life somewhere far from here. You might be a beast but I can report you to the police for the crimes you committed tonight if you don't work with me. I might also pin your girlfriend's death on you," the hazel eyes detective declared as she angrily glared at Gabe's attempt of what she called escaping. He couldn't believe that this woman would use such dirty tactics to force him to compel to her will. It angered him! She wasn't allowed, with the right she had, to order him like that. Especially the threat of ruining his career.

His blood began to boil with the seethering anger towards Catherine. Maybe he should turned into a beast to have her retract her words. The dark haired man scrunched up his face and rolled his fingers in a tight fist in order to make the transformation smoother. He waited for a couple minutes for the metamorphosis to happen and take over his body. However, it never happened! Claws never formed on his hands, his canines didn't become sharper, and he couldn't hear the snarls that ordinarily come out from his mouth. He lost the ability to transform into a beast? That was impossible! Unless...

"Are you trying to beast out in front of me to scare me?" Catherine asked in a slight intrigued tone, "You know that can't work thanks to always being around Vincent." He eased the muscles in his face and looked at her. "That is right," he mused, "It would be a failed attempt because she has gotten to Vincent and the things he can do as a beast. Nevertheless, the more important issue on hand here is the inability to transform into such creature. I don't understand unless something about being shot and then brought back to a life by electric shocks somehow turned me completely human". He grinned at the thought of being completely human, which left Cat confused while staring at him. His dream came true! He was fully human and he could lead a normal life with no secrets! If Tyler was here to celebrate his victory.

Musing over his new found happiness, Gabe recalled that Catherine mentioned that he was going to use the ADA as his now-defunct beast abilities to find Vincent. Wait, what happened to Vincent? He scanned around the area to see if Vincent was nearby. But, it turned out to be fruitless; he couldn't see the tall, muscular ex-Army soldier anywhere. He whipped his head to Catherine's direction and asked in a surprised tone, "Wait, where is Vincent? Wasn't he here with you before I died?" All this energy he used to transform into a beast and search Vincent made him a bit lightheaded. He took a seat on the ground below him, waiting for the woman's answer.

Catherine sighed at the sophisticated person's question, this is going to be a slightly long story she felt. She handed the guy the glass of water and bread as she began telling what happened, "So, you remember the helicopter with the blinding searchlight and unseen gunman?" Gabe nodded wordlessly as he began to nibble on the bread and drink the water. "Well," she continued, pausing a bit to think about the best way to describe to the frightful encounter, "After they shot you to death, they whipped out a net and captured Vincent while he was de-transforming. They then hoisted him up towards the helicopter and flew away. I believe they were Muirfield agents but I wasn't sure because the helicopter they used was unmarked and it was too bright to see anything. I need you help, although I currently hate your guts, to use your beast abilities to find Vincent. He is somewhere out there."

Gabe was flabbergasted at Catherine's story. Of course, he knew for a long time that Muirfield was looking to get their dirty little hands on Vincent. But, why did they want only him? Gabe was a beast too. Well, used to. Why did the savage organization wanted to kill him but capture Vincent? Something didn't add up. Though, he couldn't help her; he extremely positive that he wasn't a beast anymore. He should tell her before it's too late.

"I am sorry to inform you," he started to inform her about his recent discovery with a serious face, "But I cannot help you on your little search. Thanks to the gunshots and electric shockwaves, I am fully human now. I lost all my beast abilities." He watched the tall brunette for her reaction to his new found revolution. Her expression was priceless as her eyes were as round as saucers and her mouth gaping open. Her only response was:

"What?"