Author's Note: Hey everyone, happy September! Here is a new chapter to celebrate it! It took me to write this, so please enjoy! :D

The three parties head towards their destination on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Catherine Chandler, J.T., Tess Vargas, and Gabe Lowen all traveled in one black limo. Vincent Keller, Tori Windsor, and her father together in another black limo. And then, Scott McIntyre was driving a dark blue Mustang by himself. All of them heading towards the same place. But, would they arrive at the same time?

Inside one limo, Catherine continued to look at the sky through the window next to her seat. She didn't even try to talk to anyone else with her, especially the uninvited one. It was better safe than sorry to keep her eyes peeled to the dark sky above. She mindlessly tuned into the conversation between J.T., Tess, and Gabe. Just usual chit-chat, nothing to worry about.

Gabe felt guilty watching the brunette detective staring out the window, purposely ignoring her friends and him. Maybe it was better for him to not to come along with Catherine. It only made her unhappy and non-responsive. He thought that if he came along, Gabe could try to impress her with small talk and efforts. Then, she could see he wasn't a bad guy, just a guy who was in love with her and wanted a chance. Didn't he still have a chance in her heart? Couldn't she get past the heartbreak of Vincent and learn to love him?

The ADA wasn't trying cause ill-will with his actions. He wanted to be sincere. He wished he could read feelings: Was she mad at him? What was she thinking? Did she want him to leave? He sighed as many questions kept on popping up inside his head. Gabe decided to forget them and turned his attention to the only other couple in the limo, chatting about various things.

Maybe tonight, he could still have that chance with her.

At that thought, the car stopped at its destination. "Catherine, we are here!" her best friend squealed at the mystical landscape laid out at the limo's side. Catherine looked around the scenery in front of her. Although the decorations were scarce - as expected as the inside would be filled with elegant designs and objects - translucent silver ribbons were lining the walkway and the stairs that led to the front entrance. A sign hanged overhead of the staircase announcing the event. A pristine, bright red carpet was draped across the area beside the dropoff and pickup area. Tons of reporters, bystanders, cameras, and lights aligned red carpet walkway.

Well here we go, Catherine thought as she opens the door, let's hope that Gabe won't pull something stupid in front of the cameras. Though the cameras were more for the celebrities and the high-rank officials that were attending tonight's gala, Catherine didn't want to be caught in a scandalous picture with Gabe. She didn't want her reputation ruined by Gabe's childish actions.

As Cat and her friends got out the limo, Gabe was full of optimize. Here is to a night of promise. Here's to hoping. The black haired man stepped out of the car last, stepping into a world full of beauty, hope, and attraction. He had to brave now. He couldn't be a coward but also act with malice. The cameras and lights before him reaffirmed to be brave and don't back down.

Be brave.

Meanwhile, in another limo, the three occupants were enjoying the ride by chatting and relishing each other's company. The red-headed female sat beside a younger man, but not letting her body touch his. Tori didn't want to rush thing. Sure she was in love with him; she was in love with him ever since he came to her family's manor that fateful night unconscious. But, Tori wanted to take things slow, try to get to know him a little more, let her earn his trust and affections. And then, she could meet her goal of winning a spot in his heart.

Tori's plan wasn't anything new. It was her plan from the beginning. She would be the perfect lady; attend to his needs, keep him company, give whatever his heart desires. Of course, be at least attractive for him with her high-end makeup, jewelry, looks, and clothes. Maybe she was putting too many eggs in one basket, or perhaps too little. She wished he could be attracted to her.

But, she didn't know her dad's plans with the former military soldier. Curt Windsor looked at her daughter trying to become more intimate with Vincent. As someone who has experienced falling in love before, Mr. Windsor could see that look in her eyes: the knowing look that her daughter was in love with Vincent. It broke his heart that she didn't know what her father was doing to the guy she was in love with. The secret experiments, the hidden drugs, the secret plans. The billionaire didn't know how Vincent's future would turn out, and he was unsure if these experiments would be safe enough or could even end his life. Curt hoped it wasn't the latter; he couldn't bear to see his daughter heartbroken like he was when his wife died in those top secret experiments they participated in many years ago.

Tiny tears formed in the millionaire's eyes as he thought about the last time he saw his wife alive: his darling redhead held in his arms, her eyes fluttering open and shut as she took her last breath. The aging millionaire sat there, inside the limo, wistfully reminiscing about her.

"Dad, are you ok? Why are you crying?"

Curt snapped out of his reminiscing and turned his eyes to the owner of the worried voice, his daughter. He smiled sadly, wiping the tears from his eyes. "It's nothing. I hope that you have a good time tonight."

"Oh, we will," his daughter answered back, "Vincent said this is his first attending a gala, especially one sponsored by your company and New York's finest." Tori turned to Vincent and smiled.

Vincent spoke, "Yes sir, this is my first one, I think. I don't remember if I ever went to one before…" Something inside himself told Vincent that what had said wasn't right. This feeling told him that he had been several similar events in the past, but with a different woman. A woman with brown hair that cascades down to her mid-back, hazel eyes that were filled with hope and concern, and a dazzled smile. A silhouette which he couldn't identify or place a name. Ugh, who was this woman and why was she haunting his memories?

Vincent winced in pain and slowly placed both hands on each side of his head as the confusing yet fuzzy memories surfaced. Meanwhile, Tori's smile turned into a frown when she saw that Vincent was struggling. The redhead placed her hands lightly on his sides as worry filled her eyes.

"Vincent are you ok? What is wrong?"

Tori's sweet voice pulled Vincent from those memories to the present. Once he knew that those memories disappeared, he placed his hands on hers, lifting his head to look into her baffled eyes. "It's nothing. Just thinking on how beautiful you were tonight," he spoke as he reassured her with a smile.

The redhead rolled her emerald eyes at Vincent's comment. She heard this one before, and it was a lie to cover up the truth. Tori decided that she will play along for now, but she knew something was wrong with Vincent. She would make a mental note to check it out later. She then came with a playful remark, "You guys and your problems. And they say women are full of issues."

Her father chose not to listen to her daughter's witty remark while noticing that they finally arrived at their destination. The limo stopped precisely at the spot where the guests could step onto the red carpet. Once the driver signaled that it was ok to get out, a man dressed in a tuxedo opened the door. Curt was first to step out from the limo. He then extended his hand to help his daughter to get out of the vehicle. Afterward, Tori stepped out and held a hand out for Vincent, who accepted it and stepped out into the world of bright lights, flashing cameras, and a noisy atmosphere.

For Vincent, the noise and light were too much to bear. He wasn't used to it, so he thought. Tori squeezed her hand in his to reassure that everything was going to be alright.

Maybe tonight wouldn't be a bad night since his red-headed angel was here.

When McIntyre headed towards his car, he notices a small, black suitcase lying next to the front wheel. He knew what was inside; tools for him to subdue Vincent without triggering his beast side. How he can successfully carry out McCleary's plan was a different story. It was challenging to come up with a plan at the moment. But, it was his job.

He took off the covers draped across his car's license plates before jumping into the vehicle, suitcase in hand. Buckling up, the police captain started his car and drove off to the gala. While driving, he thought back on his relationship Agent McCleary, Operation Muirfield, and also the FBI. Although most in the government knew that Operation Muirfield ended after the fail projects in Afghanistan, only a few knew that it was still alive thanks to McCleary's astute leadership and Li Zhao's money.

McIntyre got involved with Operation Muirfield five years ago when Agent McCleary personally invited him. Back then, McIntyre was a brilliant, deductive police detective working for the New York City Police Department. Agent McCleary took notice of his talent. Then, enticed the then-detective to join Operation Muirfield to save lives and protect the city and country from harm, an oath that a police officer swears by.

When McCleary heard that there was a beast on the loose in New York City a year ago, he employed the aging police detective to keep all ears and eyes out for this beast, which he later learned it was Vincent Keller. Thanks to McCleary's and the FBI's connections, McIntyre was promoted to precinct captain in a neighboring precinct. Then when McCleary heard that this Vincent Killer was romantically involved with an NYPD detective named Catherine Chandler, the agent pulled some strings to get McIntyre placed in the same precinct as Chandler. Luckily, Joe Bishop got fired from his job from his extramarital affairs as well as his poor leadership skills at the same time when McIntyre was looking to transfer offices. This factor helped the police captain to move to McCleary's desired location.

The police captain didn't care tonight about what Catherine or anyone involved. He was ordered to capture Vincent, plain and simple. He wasn't needed to care about the feelings of Vincent's lovers and friends. He was concerned about the safety of the party goers. What would happen if Vincent beasted out and started to attack innocent bystanders? As an agent of Operation Muirfield, the lives of these bystanders didn't matter as long as they got what they want. But, as the police captain of one of America's most excellent police departments, he had a duty to protect the citizens of New York City. He couldn't risk his responsibility of a police captain over the responsibility of being an agent of Operation Muirfield.

The aging police captain pondered how he could take down Vincent without hurting innocent people furthermore. It wasn't long after that he arrived at his destination. Once he turned off the engine, he stepped out of the car with the small suitcase. He handed the keys to a young valet as he turned his head to the festivities ahead.

I have to do this.

The atmosphere inside had a sense of being magical. The lights were dimmed all around, creating a warm orange glow around the converted ballroom. Streamers and decorations of different sizes and colors were placed on the sides, serving different purposes for embellishment. In the front, a live band was playing soft tunes that floated towards the dance floor. Towards the back, there was a small bar set up with a bartender serving a variety of alcohol along with finger food.

As soon as they reached the double doors that served as the ballroom entrance, Tess grabbed her boyfriend's hand. "Cat, I just saw the bar, and it's calling. I think I need to have a warm-up drink before I get on the dance floor. What do you say, J.T.?" The taller woman winked at her boyfriend and pulled him towards the bar, leaving Cat alone with Gabe. Gulp! What a big mistake that was. It was like freely handing a mouse to the lion.

Realizing how awkward the situation quickly became, the shorter woman caught sight of a storage room next to the mini-bar. She decided at that moment that she would avoid Gabe by escaping to check-in her belongings. Cat started to walk towards the valet when a clammy hand clasped her arm. She turned her eyes in slow motion to the eyes of the hand's owner. When their eyes meet, Cat gasped as her eyes filled with confusion and terror. Gabe. He got her now; she was in the lion's paw, about to get devoured.

"Cat, hear me out before you decide anything," Gabe hesitantly started as he let go of her arm, "I know you are afraid of me, afraid that I will make a move on you romantically. But, I don't want to do that tonight. I am giving up on pursuing your heart tonight. Just tonight, let's be friends and friends only. I ask that you can dance with me for a couple of songs. You can dance with other men as well. Dance with me right now?"

Cat searched his eyes and found that his offer was sincere and genuine. Somewhere in his eyes told her that he wasn't lying. Taking a long breath, the detective thought over his promise for some time. She wanted to make sure that this was the right choice: her heart still belongs to Vincent and wanted to be faithful to that.

"Alright," Cat answered him a minute later, "I take you on your offer but if you keep your word that we are only friends tonight, no romantic pursuits."

"Scouts honor!" Gabe smiled to reassure the woman by his side. In the distance, the band ended a soft jazz tune and then began a mid-tempo rock ballad. This shift prompted Gabe to place his right hand in front of her. He smirked, "Let's start the night off. Shall we dance?"

"Sure. Let me quickly check-in my belongings." As soon Cat said this, she raced - as fast as she could in a clumsy fashion as she was wearing heels - towards the valet and checked in her belongings. Once the valet gave her a number, the tiny woman clumsily ran back to Gabe walked with him to the dance floor. Once they found their dancing position, Gabe and Cat enjoyed their time together with dancing and laughter but keeping distance.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, another couple heard the band changing songs. The woman with red hair was enjoying her glass of Spanish red wine when a new piece began to play. She thought that it was the perfect time to invite her "date" to dance with her. Maybe, this could lead to something romantic very soon, if the redhead played her cards right.

She placed the glass of red wine in her father's open hands. "Hey dad, I am going to go and dance with Vincent a little bit. Could you watch my drink? I am going to finish it off as soon as we get done."

"Sure."

"Thanks." His daughter smirked at him as she went by Vincent's side, placing her left hand on top of his right one. "Hey Vincent, let's dance for a while. Is that ok?"

"No problem."

Tori smiled, leading Vincent to the dance floor. In her mind, the redhead was thinking of a perfect time to kiss him so she could physically express her love towards him. The redheaded woman kept on thinking about that moment and how lucky she was with to be with him. She placed her arms around his neck, gently swaying to the music with him. Tori wasn't paying attention to her surroundings as her eyes were only on the tall, muscular man that had his eyes only on her as well. The pair was so engrossed with each other that they didn't notice that another couple, who wasn't paying attention to their surroundings either, coming too close to Vincent and Tori. This action caused the petite female to bump into Vincent. The tall man abruptly stopped dancing and turned his eyes towards the small female who bumped into him. Tori turned her eyes as well, gasping when she realized who the woman was.

Reeling from the small shock of the accident, Cat slowly looked up at the face of the man with whom she bumped into. Once the petite woman realized who he was, she gasped.

"Vincent"