I DO NOT OWN BATB!

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For those who are interested, there is a link below for Catherine's dress and her mask.

Here is chap 21. Hope you enjoy.

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As Catherine took a shower, her mind drifted off to him. With her eyes closed, she thought about her time here in Tinos. Catherine felt that she has changed, the moment she set foot on this Grecian island. Not 1 day was boring since she had been here. And Vincent had been the centre of all that had happened. In the past 5 days, during the time that she didn't have the chance to see him, she thought about running away again.

Why? Because being with Vincent seem to be so difficult. So many obstacles were in their way. Was love worth all this trouble? The old Catherine would have said no to that question and would have left already, but the new Catherine couldn't leave. Even if she wanted to.

She felt like an invisible force was keeping her here in Tinos. It was making her stay here… with Vincent. But she didn't feel like it was forcing her… no not at all. Catherine wanted to stay here… with Vincent of her own free will. She and Vincent had a bond.

But she had a gut feeling that he kept secrets from her. And as she thought about it more and more, her head told her that it might have to do with her, that she looked like his ancestor and the curse.

The man that made her hit her head in the forest. Where was he? Who was he? Did Vincent know him? One day she was going to ask him about it all. When they both were at Galya's cottage, she accidentally heard them talking. Apparently she wanted Vincent to tell Catherine something.

She immediately walked away, because Cat didn't like to eavesdrop. Plus… she believed that if it was something very important, Vincent would tell her… in time. Maybe it wasn't the right time for her to know yet. It's like how she didn't feel that it was the right time to tell him about what happened to her and Philip.

Why did her life had to be so complicated? Her dad had asked her how she felt about Vincent. Her answer: 'I have fallen for him, dad. Deeply.'

Without hesitation, she said those words. Not even a bit of doubt in her voice. Catherine didn't know who this Xylia was, but if she must, she is willing to fight for Vincent.

Why? Because she wanted to keep him in her life. Because she needed him in her life. She opened her eyes, knowing that she was ready to see him again. He did promise to make it up to her at the ball. Oh, she will forgive him for the past 5 days. But first, she was gonna make him grovel… at her feet.

She giggled at the thought. With a determined and mischievous look on her face, Catherine walked out of the shower with a towel wrapped around her body.

"Game on, Vincent Keller." She whispered.

()

As Catherine pulled the gorgeous, white dress over her head, she felt a delicious tingle go through her body. She looked in the mirror; God, the dress was indescribable! It was a white strapless number, making her almost feel like a true princess in it. So this was the present Vincent had been talking about. She found the dress, a tiara, a matching mask and a note on her bed. Cat decided then that it was the perfect opportunity to wear her diamond earrings and a new pair of high heels that she bought, when she was in Paris last year.

Cat sat on her bed and read the note once more.

Hey sweetie,

I know that I have been super busy lately. Forgive me? I promise to make it up to u at the ball. Please wear the gifts I placed on your bed? I miss you so. Can't wait to see you.

Lots of Love,

Vincent.

After reading the note, she combed her hair and wore it up with a hairpin. She was about to do her make-up and contemplated what sort of look she wanted to go for. She then decided to go for a Smokey eye look.

()

When Heather knocked on the bedroom door, Catherine had placed the tiara on her head and was standing in front of the long mirror.

"Come in." she said.

Heather was wearing her gorgeous red dress and as she walked in, she asked.

"Do I have to hel…" she began, but was cut off by the sight of her big sister.

"Oh my!" Heather whispered, while she looked at her big sister in awe.

()

Heather and Catherine were enjoying the limo ride and talked about the host of the masked ball. Adon Papadakis was his name.

"He is 38, handsome, wealthy and single." Heather said, looking up his info on Facebook.

Catherine smiled."So you are interested in him, sis?" she asked Heather.

"Nope, not really. And besides, you do know that he likes you." Heather stated.

"What? No he doesn't!" Cat insisted.

"Yeah, it was that afternoon when he came looking for Vincent, but he wasn't home. Calinico spoke to him, while we were about to go to the beach. He was so gawking at you!" her little sister stated.

"Whatever, lil sis. I am taken." Cat said.

"So, uhumm… you aren't angry at Vincent anymore?"

"Still am, but the dress has softened my heart, you know."

"And the tiara of course! I am so jealous of you. I want your tiara." Heather pouted.

Catherine shook her head."Heather, I am gonna give him the tiara back. The dress I will keep, but not the tiara. Its too expensive, I cant accept it."

"What? But it's a gift from your boyfriend. Why cant you keep it?"

"I am gonna give it back, ok?" Cat said with determination in her voice.

"So, Vincent and JT have left early?" Cat asked.

"Yes, JT had to help Vincent with something." Heather replied.

"We have arrived, ladies." The limo driver said, making the 2 sisters smile enthusiastically.

"Masks on, sista." Heather whispered.

()

As Vincent stood with JT near the bar, his mind seem to drift off to the woman he was in love with. The last 5 days were so exhausting, draining all of his energy. He missed Cat so much, but he was needed somewhere else. As much as he wanted to knock on Catherine's door, when he came home around 2 at night, he resisted that urge.

But not being able to be with her for almost 6 days was slowly driving him mad. He knew that she was beyond angry at him, but he couldn't tell her what he had been doing. He couldn't confide in her. He knew that she was going to interrogate him. What should he tell her? It pained him to not include her in all of this, but he didn't have a choice. Vincent decided to be vague, when she would ask him about what he had been doing...

Galya's medicine was a small miracle! He used it every day, cause it made the pain slowly disappear. As Vincent was being consumed by his own train of thought, he heard people gasping. He frowned and looked at the well lit entrance. The second his eyes caught what everyone was admiring, his mouth fell open slightly…

Catherine! She was wearing the white dress and the tiara! God! She looked breathtaking! He almost forgot to breathe… She looked like a princess in that white dress, her hair up and the matching mask he had given her. The mask covered her beautiful eyes, her dimples appearing when she smiled.

JT had been calling him, but Vincent didn't hear him at all.

"Earth to Vincent!" JT tried once more.

"Huh?" Vincent replied. "JT, sorry but I have to go to my…"

"I know, I know. Go get her, Vince. Before someone else does." JT encouraged him, a smile gracing his face.

Vincent nodded and took the last sip of his beer. He walked straight through the crowd, wanting to be close to his girlfriend as soon as possible.

Heather and Catherine were walking hand in hand, afraid to lose each other in the crowd. Adon Papadakis' house looked like a castle. He used his living room as a dance floor and bar. You can say that he turned his living room into a ballroom. Catherine felt a little uncomfortable of the way everyone was looking at her.

"Heather?" she said.

"I know, sis. They are all staring at you."

"Ha! I see tables and chairs over there. Lets take a seat, ok?" Cat said.

"Okay, sis."

"Tell me, when you see Vincent, ok?" Cat said.

"Of course."

And just as Catherine was about to take a seat, the host of the ball, Adon Papadakis tapped her on her shoulder.

"Miss Catherine, miss Heather. Welcome. I am glad you are able to attend the ball." He said.

Catherine smiled."Thank you for the invitation, Mr. Papadakis."

"Please, call me Adon."

"Okay." Cat said, turning to face her little sister.

At that moment, he grabbed Cat's hand and politely asked."May I have this dance?"

Catherine wanted to refuse, but he was the host! So she nodded reluctantly.

Adon let led her to the dance floor, while she looked around. Cat felt really like a thing on display. The music played, but she felt so uncomfortable in Adon's arms. He talked to her during the dance, but she didn't even listen to him. Her mind was only consumed by Vincent. Yes, he was nice and handsome, but he was no Vincent.

'Vincent, where are you?' she prayed.

From a distance, Vincent watched as his girl was dancing with another man! The Beast inside of him was very, very jealous. Vincent observed Adon and Catherine very closely. He was talking to her, while Catherine looked so lost. Should he go and rescue her? OF COURSE! The Beast exclaimed. She is ours.

In a flash, Vincent stood next to the pair on the dance floor. At that very moment, Catherine looked in his direction. He was gazing into her eyes, making her smile shyly.

Vincent tapped on Adon's shoulder."May I cut in?" he said.

Adon turned around and frowned."What?No." he replied.

Vincent felt that his jealousy and anger were about to get the best of him, so he said.

"Adon, its me, Vincent Keller. I'd really like to dance with my girlfriend, now." He insisted.

Adon was shocked to hear the word girlfriend and immediately let Catherine go.

"Of course. Sorry, I didn't know that she was your girlfriend, Vincent." he said and nodded, before walking away gracefully.

Catherine raised her eye brow and placed her hand on her hip.

"What an entrance, mister Keller. So, I am your girlfriend, now?" she asked.

"Catherine."

"No, I really would like to know. The past 5 days I didn't feel like I was someone's girlfriend. You know why? My so called 'boyfriend' avoided and ignored me during that time. It was a really shitty past few days, you know that?" she said.

Catherine was happy that he was there with her. That he had saved her again, but… she was so gonna make him pay first.

He looked at her with pleading eyes, but she ignored that look.

"You can use your puppy dog eyes look all you want, it's not gonna work, Mr. Keller."I want an explanation. Now. Where were you? What have you been doing? And more importantly… with whom were you?" she blurted out.

Vincent sighed."Catherine, please. I will explain it to you, but not now. Right now, can we just enjoy the ball and each other? Please, sweetie?" he pleaded.

At one point, Catherine pitied him and thought he was right. At the ball wasn't the place to talk about private matters. There were lots of people and the music was way too loud.

"Okay, but you have to promise me that you'll tell me the whole truth?" she asked.

He nodded."Yes, I will."

At that very moment, a beautiful song played. The song was: All I need by the band: Within Temptation. Vincent looked her deep in her eyes, his hazel eyes, pleading and full of love. He extended his arm to her, his right hand open. He patiently waited for her to accept it, waited for her to grab his hand. And as she did, a shiver went through his spine. At that same moment, her body felt like it was on fire!

Vincent heard how her heart was ramming against her rib cage, how her breath hitched in her throat. He too had trouble controlling his heart rate, his breathing becoming shallow. Her scent invaded his nostrils, making his head spin deliciously.

"Would you like to dance, miss?" he asked politely.

She nodded, her train of thought incoherent.

He gently put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer to him. Catherine placed her hands on the back of his neck and it was then, when they began to dance slowly.

They gazed into each other's eyes, lost in the perfect moment.

"Catherine. God, I missed you so much! And BTW, you look very enchanting. You look like a princess in that white dress and tiara." He whispered.

"Thank you. You look very handsome too. And I am so gonna keep the dress, but… the tiara I am gonna give back to you. And BTW I feel like a princess, thanks to you." She whispered, making a current go through his spine.

As Catherine looked up, she got completely lost in his gorgeous hazel eyes. She had gotten weak in the knees, so it was a good thing that he was holding her so close and so tightly. It felt like he never wanted to let her go…

Catherine felt a blush coming up, so to prevent Vincent from seeing how she was blushing, she rested her head on his chest.

God! It felt so good to be this close to him. She let out a breath, a bit frightened that she would lose it like before. But luckily her need for him was stronger than her fears. His body felt so warm and all she wanted was to feel him closer.

She took in his scent with her eyes closed, overwhelmed by her love for him. Catherine stayed in his arms, dancing slowly with her head on his very warm chest. As she savored the moment, she opened her eyes and looked around the dance floor. Couples were dancing and laughing, talking and enjoying this enchanting evening. God! She was so thankful for this magical evening! What a ball.

At one point, he even played with a lock of her shiny, dark hair… Too soon, the song ended and an upbeat song followed.

()

After dancing for a while, they both were thirsty. As Vincent handed Cat a glass of punch, she smiled at him lovingly. And she was planning to make him grovel at her feet? Haha! That was a joke! She couldn't see him suffer for one bit. After Catherine had taken a sip of her drink, she placed her glass on a table. She couldn't take it anymore.

With loving eyes, she gently cupped his face and pulled him towards her. Their lips collided in a soft, but desperate kiss, their eyes closed without their accord. They kissed each other passionately, the need for each other evident and clear. It didn't matter if people were around, if they were staring or if they envied them. All that mattered was Vincent and Catherine.

He pulled away first, making her whimper out of protest. He looked her in the eyes…

"Catherine… not here." he whispered.

"Vincent… I need you, now." She whispered seductively.

He was worried that she would react like last time, but he missed and needed her so much. His body and heart were aching for her, just as hers was for his. So without further a due, Vincent grabbed her hand and led her out of the dance floor. Catherine looked around and saw Heather with JT.

Heather locked eyes with her big sister and mouthed."Go, I will stay with JT."

The second they were in the hall, Vincent grabbed her mask and tore it swiftly from her gorgeous face. He was finally able to see her whole face.

"God, you are so beautiful!" he whispered.

Catherine answered him, by grabbing his face roughly and kissing him with all the need she had for him. Her heart was beating erratically, but she wasn't afraid. She was afraid of one thing and that was that someone was going to interrupt them…

They broke the kiss, realizing that they were still in Adon's house. Hand in hand, they walked straight to the limo and took a seat in it. As the limo drove away, Vincent nervously looked at Catherine. What he saw in her eyes, made him swallow hard. He saw love, need and desire.

Vincent was about to take off his mask, but she stopped him.

She shook her head."Uh…uh. Leave it." She whispered.

In one swift move, Catherine sat on his lap and brought her lips to his ear."Vincent Keller, you Greek God. Oh, how I want you so."

Vincent felt the Beast in him roar. He cupped her face and looked her deep in the eyes.

"What do we have here? A Goddess gone wild?" he whispered.

But before she could answer him, he crashed his lips onto hers. Catherine moaned softly, feeling how he was claiming her lips... like some wild, sexy Beast.

Lips were moving, tongues were playing with each other and at one point, hands were touching and gripping and tugging. Her fingers grabbed his hair, while his hand disappeared in her soft, dark locks. He touched her with so much love; she bet that it made angels cry…

Breathes became ragged and shallow, bottom lips were being softly bitten while whimpers were being heard.

They got so lost into each other, lost in their passion for each other, that they didn't realize that the limo came to a stop.

"Mr. Keller, you are home." The limo driver said.

As they entered Vincent's villa, he took off his mask and locked hands with her. They were about to go up the stairs, but Calinico called Vincent.

"Sir, I am so sorry to disturb you. But you have company." He said, his voice sounding very apologetic.

"Company? Who? But I don't expect anyone…" he began, but when he saw the woman, he stopped.

"Xylia. What are you doing here?" he demanded.

But lucky for Vincent, this time he didn't let go of Catherine's hand. Instead, he held it tighter.

"It's my son. He's having another attack. Please, come. Only you can help him, sir." The woman said, her voice trembling, her eyes welling up.

What is Xylia talking about?

So, in the next chap Cat will find out more about Xylia. If u want to read the next chapter, PLEASE leave me reviews?

Ruby

:)

link to Cat's white dress: www.

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