A/N: Thank you all again for your reviews and positive comments. I think I have an idea where this story is going and I hope to make it a little broader and bigger feeling romance.

Reunion

Chapter 6

After being introduced to Tess, Vincent watched Catherine disappear down the hallway heading toward the mysterious Dr. Lowen's office. An emptiness crept up and filled his chest. It was an act of will to keep himself from running after her, to not let her leave his sight.

"I meant it," Tess said.

"Beg your pardon?" Vincent said, turning to face her.

"Keep doing what you're doing. I haven't seen Cat this relaxed and happy in a long time. Oh, and sorry about the Dr. Dreamy thing. I tease Cat about that a lot. Gabe's a good guy and he's totally infatuated with her. But he's got big competition."

Big competition. Vincent felt his stomach drop, the tinge of jealously he'd felt just a moment before exploding into his chest. Of course Catherine would have men chasing after her. She was gorgeous and smart and caring and - and just wonderful. He was so naive to come crashing into her life after being dead for seven years and think she would be alone and ready to restart a relationship where they'd left off. God, could he be any more stupid?

"It's hard to compete with a dead guy," Tess said. She turned and faced Vincent squarely. "Look, you're probably a really nice guy. And you've obviously hit a chord in Cat that hasn't been played in a long time. I love her to death and I can't thank you enough for making her feel happy." She took in a deep breath. "But Cat has some relationship issues and you need to know that going in so you don't get your hopes up and then end up hurting her because she can't go where you want to go."

A dead guy. Does she mean me? he thought. "Wow," was all Vincent could say.

"Even though I don't know you, I don't want you to get hurt either," Tess said, her face serious. "But I promise that if you hurt her I will make you wish you'd never met me." She cracked a slight smile. "Do I make myself clear, Corporal?"

Vincent returned her smile, appreciating that Tess was as devoted to Catherine as he. "Crystal clear, ma'am," he said.

Tess nodded in affirmation. "So," she said, "you were in the military. Army or the Corp?"

"Army, ma'am," Vincent said with mock formality. Then he relaxed and leaned against the counter. "Communications officer."

"Army Captain," Tess said. "Charge nurse. Baghdad."

"Tough post," Vincent said.

She sighed. "You got that right." Tess gave Vincent an appreciative look from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet and back up again. "I didn't get your name."

"Vincent."

Tess groaned. "Oh, you poor bastard."

Vincent flinched. "You're not doing much for my self-confidence."

"Sorry," Tess chuckled. "It's just that you've got the double whammy working against you."

"How's that," he said.

"First, you've got to compete with a dead guy. And second, the dead guy's name was Vincent. Cat's got to be thinking about him every time she says your name. You are the most unlucky schmuck I've met in a long time."

Vincent smiled. So …, the dead guy was him. And Catherine was still in love with him. And it sounded like she had trouble being in relationships because she still loved him. At that thought his smugness disappeared and a pain filled his chest at the thought of Catherine being so lonely for the past seven years. Suddenly he longed to hold her, to caress her, to let her know that she never had to be alone again. He turned and looked anxiously down the hallway.

"Crap. I can be such a putz," Tess said. "Look, I'm sorry. It's just that Cat's my best friend and I care about her more than almost anyone else on earth, ya know?"

Vincent nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"Okay. Let's talk about something else," Tess said. "I told you I served in Baghdad. Were you stationed overseas?"

"Afghanistan," Vincent said, turning back to Tess.

"I guess I can send the tough post comment right back at 'cha. Where?"

"Kandahar."

"Now that is just freaking weird. Cat was stationed in Kandahar for two years as a volunteer doc for the Red Cross." Tess nodded and smiled. "No wonder you guys hit if off. That's so cool. You've probably got a lot to talk about. Cat finished up seven years ago. Where you there before or after her?"

"Same time," Vincent said. He was getting nervous now, wondering if Tess would make the connection and how that might impact the way she felt about him.

"No way! Man, that is too bizarre," Tess exclaimed, a grin spreading across her face. But in a flash her smile dropped into a frown and she looked at the floor, concentrating hard. "Wait a minute. You said you were a communications officer, right? An army corporal?" She looked up at Vincent.

"That's right."

Tess' eyes went wide. She sucked in a breath and stumbled back against the counter. "Oh my god. You're him. You're Vincent Keller."

Vincent stood frozen, afraid that if he moved Tess would run, or attack, or do something, he just wasn't sure what. He nodded.

"But … you're dead," Tess said, clearly shocked as she supported herself on the counter. "You're supposed to be dead."

Vincent drew in a breath. "Mistaken identity."

Tess shook her head back and forth vigorously. "No way," she said in nervous disbelief. "No way in hell. This is some sort of scam. You're some type of con man. You got hold of a picture of Vincent and made yourself look like him. There's no way you're Vincent Keller."

"Look," Vincent said, "I know it's a lot to take in. But I'm Catherine's Vincent."

"Prove it!" Tess demanded.

"How, for god's sake," Vincent said, frustrated.

Tess looked at the floor, thinking hard. She snapped her head back up and her eyes bored holes through Vincent. "Catherine said you shared everything about your lives with each other."

Vincent cringed. That was a private part of his life and he wasn't keen that another person, even if it was Catherine's best friend, knew about it. But he nodded. "Yeah, that's right."

"Then describe Catherine's fantasy house," Tess said with a smug grin, as if she'd caught him and proved he was a fraud.

Vincent smiled. This he knew, more intimately than anyone would ever believe. "It's more than just a house," he said, triumphantly. "Catherine's dream is to live out in the country on a small farm with animals, especially horses. She wants to raise and ride horses." His attention went inward as he continued, his voice quiet and wistful. "Her dream house is a huge log home with a giant stone fireplace and a great room for gathering family and friends together. At night she wants to sit out on the porch and gaze up at the night sky and wish on shooting stars."

Tess' eyes went wide. "Oh my God," she breathed, "you really are him."

Vincent watched with fascination while the expressions on Tess' face changed as everything started to sink in. Slowly her stunned look of surprise turned into a frown and a few moments later a look of stark horror filled her face. She pushed herself up from the counter and rushed over to Vincent, grabbing him by the arm and forcing him behind the nurses' station counter, pushing him into a small nook in the wall where they couldn't be overheard by passersby.

"What were you thinking, coming here?" she said, her voice low and harsh.

Vincent looked at Tess, confused. "Catherine brought me here."

"No. Not here at the hospital. I mean here - in Chicago." Tess shot a worried look toward the hallway. "You shouldn't be here. Don't you get it?"

"Apparently not," Vincent said, shrugging his shoulders. He felt a ping of annoyance, wondering what Tess was getting at.

Tess grabbed his left hand and pulled it up for inspection. "No wedding ring," she said, "and no mark that you'd taken one off. Good."

Vincent pulled his hand away from Tess as anger started to stir in his gut. "Captain," Vincent said, "I could use a sit-rep right about now."

Tess gave Vincent a hard glare at his military nomenclature, but it seemed to get his intended message across - that he didn't have a clue what she was talking about. She blew out a breath and took a step back.

"You've got to look at this from Cat's point of view," Tess said. "She was devastated when she thought you'd died. Even now when she thinks about Afghanistan, or anything else that reminds her of you, she goes into a funk that lasts for days." Tess looked away and rubbed her palms against her thighs. "There are a lot of great guys that would like to get close to Cat. Gabe Lowen is one. But every time Cat starts getting serious with a guy, she compares him to you and right then he's lost the battle. In her mind there is no one on earth that measures up to you. Eventually, she can't take the relationship to the next level. She gets cold feet and bails."

Vincent saw the earnestness in Tess' eyes and swallowed hard. The last thing he'd ever wanted was for Catherine to suffer because of him.

"And now you come waltzing merrily in with a - Hi, how are ya. Long time, no see. Just passing through. Thought I'd stop by and catch-up on old times. Geeze! This is really gonna mess her up."

That wasn't why Vincent had come. He wasn't here to visit and casually talk about the past. He'd come because when he'd discovered Catherine was alive he could do nothing else. He'd come to see if he could salvage the most important thing he'd ever experienced in his life. He'd come to embrace something that had been torn from him - from them - before it had the chance to flourish. He wanted that chance, more than anything.

Vincent opened his mouth to speak but Tess was on a roll now, her anger and frustration growing, and she cut him off before he uttered a word.

"And why now?" Tess' voice came in a low growl and she glared at Vincent from under scrunched eyebrows. "Things not working out in the relationship department?" she asked, sarcastically. "Missing out on some good luvin'? A little sex starved lately and you figured you could go back to a sure thing with Cat for a while?"

Vincent clenched his fists at his side. He knew why Tess was busting his chops. She loved Catherine and she was in full protection-mode, just like any army captain would be when protecting her troops.

But, maybe Tess was right. Doubt started to crowd out his anger. Maybe he'd been so completely self-centered that he hadn't taken into account what was best for Catherine. Showing up this way could really cause her serious mental and emotional harm, especially if she wasn't ready for him - or any man, for that matter - to be in her life. Maybe Tess was giving him the wake-up call he needed.

Tess continued to rail at Vincent. "And why did you wait for seven goddamned years to find her?" She blew out a frustrated breath. "You lousy son-of-a-bitch. Do you realize how much pain and suffering you've put her through letting her think you were dead. Why didn't you try to find her before now? Why?"

"What the hell's going on here?" came Catherine's voice from the counter.