Author's Note: Hey guys, long time no see! It's been more than six months since I last updated this story. I just finished a year-long course that was intense and in another language. Now I have more time, I want to complete this story. It is my promise that this year, I will try my best to complete this fanfic. I believe we are on the descent to the finale and there is maybe less than ten more chapters. It could be more, hahaha.

Enjoy! :D

A week passed by without any incident. No new incidents. No new attacks. Nada. Zilch.

Catherine sighed deeply as she combed through the recent crime reports on the police database. Today was the first day back since the fateful incident. The last time she saw him with her own eyes...

Where is he? Catherine growled under her breath. Frustrated at the empty results, the brunette re-scanned the files once more. But this time, more thoroughly.

"What you doing?"

Instantly, Catherine whipped her head around to see who was the owner of that unknown yet familiar voice.

"Ugh Tess, don't scare me like that," Catherine scolded her best friend as she quickly closed out from the police computer system. She turned her chair around to face Tess after she confirmed that everything was completely shut down.

"Just checking up on you. The whole department was worried about you after the attack. Especially Mr. hotshot ADA!" The other woman just grimaced at the mention

Seeing that Cat wasn't interested in talking about Gabe any further, Tess quickly changed the conversation. "But besides that, tomorrow is the long-awaited ball. We are still meeting at my place, correct? Around 1 p.m?"

Cat just slightly nodded, "Yeah".

Tess smiled brightly, "Great! J.T. plans to pick us up at around 5. Unless you find yourself with an escort or possible romantic date just before…."

Seeing where this was going, Cat quickly cut off her friend, "Uhhhh, not really. Gabe has asked me but…"

"But, you turned him down, am I correct?" the taller woman swiftly finished Cat's sentence in a neutral tone. Tess then inhaled a deep breath before continuing to speak. "Look, Cat. I understand that you are holding your heart out for him. But, you can't continue on being unhappy."

The taller woman looked into her friend's eyes, pausing a bit to ponder on her friend's situation. She then carried on with the conversation, "How about this. You will grant me one favor this evening and I will do anything for you in return. Anything you ask, I will do. However, I want you to promise me that you will forget "you-know-who" tomorrow night only. Just enjoy the gala without worrying, please?" Tess intentionally raised the ending tone of that question to sound like a sincere yet serious plea.

"Just for one night…" Catherine pondered over the idea. Tess nodded in response.

"With just you, me, and J.T.?"

"If you want. But, how about…"

"Deal," Catherine abruptly interrupted with a small grin, "I go with you guys tomorrow night."

Tess hesitated a bit, "How about…"

"I think that's a fair compromise. I wouldn't think about, worry, or even speak of his name for one night if you don't hook me up with someone by the end of the night. You are right, I just need a night of fun where I don't need to think about "him" or even about "love"."

Tess sighed, "If that is what you want."

Cat stood up from her office chair and gave her best friend a light hug. "Thank you for convincing me to go. I will try to have fun tomorrow. But now, I need to go to a doctor's appointment. I will see you tomorrow. At 1 pm. See ya!"

"So you are you ready for the plan?" a voice spoke out from the shadows. The owner approached a well-disguised man, almost completely covered in all black.

"Good, I assumed that your daughter is well informed of it as well? And, she even complied with it?" The other man nodded in response to the questions. "Yes, she knows the risks. It isn't like she will fall in love with him."

"Great, I will see you again if the plan is successful," the man covered in all black briskly spoke as he stood up and walked away, never looking back.

"A little dab of blush over here and we are done!" the taller brunette cheerfully exclaimed she gingerly dabbled some rose pink powder on her friend's cheek.

"Thanks, Tess!," Catherine thanked as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror before her to check on the result of her best friend's work.

Cat was wearing a simple black dress that had an intricate lace top and small yet neat ripples billowing from the long skirt. She wore simple jewelry: diamond earrings that hung down a little bit and a silver chain necklace with s small heart diamond that laid upon her chest.

Her makeup was also simple yet elegant. Hues of soft pink covered her cheeks. Her lips were glossed over with a shade of cherry red. The feature that brought out the best of her ethereal beauty was her eyes. Tess used a smoky dark pink eye shadower with thick, black mascara to bring out her unearthly hazel eyes.

A series of shuffling sounds filled the air suddenly. Cat, being a bit startled from the suddenness, turned around slowly to notice that Tess was packing some items in a small handbag. Her friend felt Cat's gaze and looked up. Tess smirked, "Come on slowpoke, our ride will be here any minute."

Cat glanced at the time displayed on her phone. She was shocked to see that it was already 5 pm. She nimbly dashed over to where her stuff was stored. The petite woman put on her long, black overcoat and grabbed her handbag. Cat then walked towards the front door of the apartment when her best friend called out, "Hey Cat, don't forget your mask. It would be a shame to show up to a masquerade without it."

The taller woman approached Cat, handing her a black cat-like mask that covered seventy-five percent of her face. The tinier woman gingerly snatched it from her friend's grasp as she headed out of the door and down to the front entrance.

It took Tess and Cat less than five minutes to reach the entrance of the building. When they stepped outside, the pair noticed that J.T. was waiting next to a slick, black limo that was medium-sized.

"Hey babe, how in the hell did you score a limo for us?" Tess tenderly asked as she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend, giving a tender but quick peck on the lips.

He chuckled a bit, "Well, I just wanted to do something special for you. Is that alright?" This thoughtful response made Tess' eyes twinkle in delight as well as her heart fluttering. She nodded, just smiling to inform her boyfriend of her delight of his thoughtful gift. J.T. and Tess were lost in the moment for a while, forgetting that there was another person joining them.

"Hey J.T., sorry to spoil for the moment but thank you for the limo," Cat uttered her thanks, breaking the trance between the two lovers. A bit flustered, J.T. turned his eyes towards the petite woman. "No problem, Cat. I hope you can enjoy tonight. Here, let me be a gentleman and open the door for you."

And with that, the finely dressed man in a black-tie suit broke away from his partner's embrace to go to the back door of the limo. He opened the door casually, bowing his head a bit as he spoke, "Ladies, I invited you to enjoy the ride on "la limousine de J.T."

The two ladies just giggled softly as they approached the open door. Cat volunteered without a word to go in first. Once she lifted her eyes to focus on what was in front of her, the petite brunette suddenly frowned with a look of annoyance.

Dun-dun-duuuuun! What did Cat see inside the limo? Find out next time!