The fading light of the silver moon cast long shadows across the glittering city that lay below its high vantage point. The gentle winter breeze swept across the concrete and asphalt, its chilly fingers brushing against every leaf that remained desperately clinging to the scraggly black limbs of the dormant trees in Central park. Vincent, a quiet sentinel, still sat perched atop the balcony of Catherine's apartment, his cloak ruffled by the wind. The coldness did not seem to bother him, as he showed no sign of noticing it, as his glittering eyes scanned the streets far below.

"She can never really and truly be yours, you know."

A stab of adrenaline shot through Vincent's body at the sudden voice that spoke to his left, a painful jolt that brought him to his feet in a mere millisecond. His hands clenched into wary claws and a snarl automatically escaped his curled lips at the unexpected intrusion. Seated at the other end of the balcony he could barely make out a black-dressed figure in the shadows, perched on the metal railing, thin hands folded business-like upon his knee.

"See, that's exactly what I'm talking about." The figure flapped a lean, dismissive hand in Vincent's direction. "This - animal - side of you will never allow her to be close to you. What if you two get in a heated disagreement, who's to say that snarling won't be your response. T'sk, Vincent, a woman just doesn't like it when men snarl like that. She will not want to be with you. You will bury her beautiful, tender love underneath a cowering, aching fear, and trust me, that is a heavy weight for a woman to climb out from under. You won't even know about it, though. She will hide her fear, pretending that she is totally and utterly in love with you because telling you she fears your animal instincts would be a heart-wrenching thing indeed."

"Why are you here?" Vincent snarled, interrupting the angel's tirade, cautiously moving sideways toward the doorway that led to Catherine's living room beyond its glass.

The dark figure laughed outright. "Vincent, Vincent, do you really think that a simple door can stop me? I have no limitations. I can come and go as I please. This is my world, this preposterous world of darkness. But I am not here to bother her. I was just walking along, minding my own business, when I saw you sitting there, and wanted to stop by and say hello. Oh, I stopped by the tunnels on my way out to wander the streets. Spoke to a Jacob Wells, he seemed quite interested in employing me as a guardian for the tunnel entrance. I did not expect his cooperation, but he seemed quite willing."

Vincent's cheek twitched as he suppressed another snarl. "He would never allow you to remain among us, Lucifer."

The dark visitor smirked, arching one eyebrow in a question. "What makes you so sure, Vincent? Of course he wouldn't tell you that. He is afraid of you. Face it, lion man. Everyone is afraid of you. You've seen it yourself, the way people glance at you when you pass, the way you hide beneath a cloak, and can never walk in daylight except on Halloween, which I find amusing as that is the only night I can walk among the living in daylight. Two of a kind, aren't we? Anyway, back to this business proposal. Having me to guard the tunnels ensures that the poor, simple tunnel folk do not have to be afraid anymore. I can protect them from the danger that you present to them, along with every other dark hoodlum in the world. Don't worry, Vincent, I won't kick you out, no, no, no. They will simply dismiss you from among the clan, as they no longer need your abilities and do not wish your fearful face to continue among them with no purpose. Why have a protector that you need protection from? Don't take it personal, think about it. Would you want your dear Catherine to love a man that could harm her, potentially maul her if he were to get angry? Someone that could squeeze the very life from her body when lost in the desires of passion, or mar her white skin with ugly scratches at the slightest movement of their hands? No, Vincent, you would not want that for her, would you?"

Struggling to control the intensely growing hatred for the demon before him, Vincent clenched his fists tighter, feeling the point of his nails digging into the palms of his hands. The words of darkness crept into his very being and a bitterness rose in his throat.

Lucifer wasn't entirely wrong, was he?

It was somewhat true. Vincent had seen the wary shift in people's glance when he passed, during times of great stress in the community. It wasn't always that way, but what if they were simply hiding their fear from him in concern that he would retaliate? Of course people loved him, didn't they? He understood that it was hard not to be afraid of something as large and fierce-looking as he was. But did they actually love him? Was it all something he made up in his own mind to force himself to fit in to normal life? Perhaps he was a beast after all, with the strength to crush a rose and kill a man. But he would never allow anyone to hurt his precious Catherine, not even himself.

"It's not a bad thing, Vincent." The dark angel dropped casually onto the stone of the balcony floor, and walked closer to the giant man. "It's strength of character to know someone's own limitations. It's not something that you can change or alter - merely accept." The black figure now stood in front of the silent Vincent, glittering eyes boring into the gentler dark eyes of his target, a regal face surrounded by the tawny mane now mirroring the darkness of the angel. "You haven't hurt her yet, Vincent. But what if you did? Wouldn't it be better to break this unreasonable tie before something terrible happens? You are using her Vincent, using her as a crutch for the loss and invisibility you feel as you do not fit in with society. Yu are crippling her successes and stifling her romances by claiming something for yourself that you are not worthy of. And she lets you because she feels sorry for you, not because she longs for your touch. Seriously, Vincent, have you seen those claws? What woman in her right mind would actually desire being caressed by talons?"

Vincent swallowed hard, his throat constricting as he felt his world slipping away, darkness pouring into his heart as the light of love he felt for Catherine began to smother under the fear that was blossoming inside him at the words of the enemy. Father had turned against him, Catherine was beyond his reach, his dreams were dying inside his head, and darkness was flooding his consciousness. He felt the sharp stab of brick at his back, as he slumped weakly to the stone floor.

"That's it, lion man, let the darkness take you. You know it is there inside you, let it burn, let it blossom into the evil flower of destruction. Be mine, child, be mine."

He didn't even hear the smooth voice of Lucifer who was now kneeling beside him, as his shadowed hand reached to grasp the cloak covering the broad chest of the sinking man. Vincent roared, his back arching against the electricity charging through his skin as the darkness penetrated his very being, pain bursting through every nerve in his system as the blackness clutched his heart to itself. This was it. Defeat and despair was to be the end of him after all.

"Vincent!" A familiar, frightened voice speared into the darkness, breaking the hold of the hand squeezing his chest. Air rushed into his lungs in a gasping roar, and he desperately swatted at the dark figure before him. His nails slashed at the grim face gazing down at him, but the shadowed specter chuckled as the hand was met with empty air.

"Can't kill an angel, Vincent." Lucifer smirked, leaning close to the struggling lion man. "Even as strong as you are, you just can't stop me. Come to me, Vincent, let me bring out your strengths."

Gathering enough breath for a final, desperate roar at the despair choking the life from his dreams, Vincent bared his teeth and slashed one more time at the figure that held his consciousness captive.

It all happened in a matter of seconds. A concerned face appeared in his vision framed by blonde hair tousled from sleep, at the same moment that he flailed toward the shadow above him. His hand collided with soft skin, and the face above him was knocked sideways with the impact.

He had done it. The fear that he had hurt someone flashed through his mind and it was all that was needed to bring him back to earth.

"Vincent?"

Her soft voice cut through the remaining terrified fog and he looked up into her worried eyes.

"Vincent? What happened? I heard you roaring out here and I was so frightened. Are you okay?"

He barely comprehended her words, looking from her searching eyes to his hand then back to her face.

"Catherine. I - I struck you," he whispered, his voice barely audible in the dawn air. The hand that had touched her hung half in the air as he appeared frozen with the gravity of what had happened.

"It's okay, it's okay," she spoke urgently, kindly, leaning down to rest her chin on his chest. "You didn't hurt me at all. You just startled me." He could feel the desperation in her voice as she nestled herself close to his side, a shiver running through her robe-cloaked figure from the chill of the dark morning. Instinct would have made him instantly pull her closer to his own body heat, and in a different time he would have urged her to step back into her warm apartment lest she catch a chill. But despair still clutched his emotions in ragged shreds, and he carefully sat up, causing her to move away in confusion.

"But I struck you," he repeated, as if in a trance. The appalled sorrow on his face shattered her heart and she reached a slow hand out to lay it on his chest.

"Vincent, you didn't mean it. You were fighting something in your sleep. I saw you. I should have stayed back, but I just had to get to you and wake you."

"I can not risk hurting you," he replied solemnly, slowly getting to his feet. He reached out a hand to touch her face, but then withdrew it as if afraid of his own intentions. "Dearest Catherine, I can not risk hurting you further. Goodbye."

"Vincent, wait, I am fine! I promise!"

He hesitated at the railing, his cloak hiding his face as he half turned back. She took a hopeful step forward, the silence palpable between them.

"Catherine, I release you from the bond. Be free."

She felt the bitterness of his heart withdraw from her, leaving a chill emptiness in it's place, like the release from a steady hug. It frightened her. "Vincent, no, I don't want you to! Come back, let's talk about this. Vincent, please!"

Her desperate plea fell on deaf ears as the cloaked figure swung down from her balcony and disappeared into the remaining shadows of dawn.

In the corner of the rooftop, a dark shadow laughed soundlessly before disappearing at the sight of the first glimmer of the rising sun.