A/N: I know I've said it a thousand times, but, thanks everyone!

Reunion

Chapter 15

The banquet room at the top of the downtown Chicago Hilton looked east across Grant Park, out onto the vast expanse of Lake Michigan. Even at night the view was spectacular. Catherine leaned against the balcony railing, shivering, a light burgundy shawl drapped over he shoulders. Sipping from a bottle of imported water she glanced back through the huge sliding glass door at the revelry of several hundred happy - and mostly intoxicated - coworkers celebrating the approaching new year.

For the first hour she'd valiantly made her way through the room, right on Tess' heels, chatting with old acquaintances and being introduced to some of the newer staff at the hospital. More than once she caught different men surreptitiously checking her out, their sidelong glances lingering on her as she walked by. It made her feel attractive and it had been a long time since Catherine had been in a situation where a man could appreciate her. She'd never considered herself a beauty, but it was nice to know she was still desirable. The problem was, she didn't want to be appreciated by any of the men in the room. The man she wanted staring at her would never see her again.

Most everyone at the hospital knew she was unattached and a short time after she'd arrived at the celebration a parade of men began to line up to talk to her. It wasn't like a queue, each man waiting his turn. It was more subtle. One attractive doctor or wealthy donor would sidle up to her and attempt to engage her in conversation. She'd nod and chat for a while, and then gratefully follow Tess who would move to the next group of people. She apologized and excused herself from the conversation, dutifully following her friend.

As Tess wished another group of friends a happy holiday and moved away, she stopped abruptly and spun around causing Catherine to jerk to a halt. "Okay," Tess said, "you have got to quit following me. Go mingle, talk to people. I don't need a shadow."

Catherine felt a tinge of panic. "I … I don't know what to talk about."

"Come on, Chandler. You're a doctor, for pity's sake. An educated, smart, experienced - and smokin' hot - woman. Have you even noticed that every guy in the room is checking you out?"

The heat of a blush filled her face. "Yeah, and it's embarrassing."

Tess let out a snort. "Embarrassing! I should be so lucky to be embarrassed like that."

"What do you mean? You're beautiful and exotic and can kick-ass as well."

"Maybe. But they're not looking at me. They're looking at you."

Just then Tess's phone chirped and she pulled it from her clutch. After a moment her eyes went wide and she caught her breath. She paused, then her fingers tapped rapidly on the screen. Her phone chirped again and she tapped out another message. Scanning the screen one more time she put it away.

"Are you on call?" Catherine asked. Tess was staring at the floor and didn't seem to hear her. "Tess?"

Tess jerked her head up. "Huh?"

"Are you on call? Is everything okay?

"Oh. No and yes. No, not on call. Yes, everything is okay. Definitely … okay," Tess responded.

Catherine looked around the crowded room and sighed. "I think I'll go home."

"No!" Tess barked.

Catherine took at step back at Tess' intensity.

After a moment Tess' face softened and her voice relaxed. "I mean, no, you can't go. Not until after midnight. Not until we celebrate the new year."

"Tess, it's only ten-thirty. That's another hour and a half."

"Please," Tess pleaded. "Don't leave me alone."

"You just told me to quit following you. I think I'm probably cramping your style and it might be better for you if I was gone. "

"I've changed my mind," Tess said. "You're my wingman and you can't leave me."

Catherine frowned, confused at her friend's sudden change of attitude.

"Look," Tess said, "I'll quit bugging you. Forget about chatting-up guys. You can hang with me. You can hang out by yourself. You can hang out in the lady's room. I don't care. Just … don't leave. Not yet."

Catherine sighed. "Fine. No more pushing me to talk to every guy in the room?" she said, raising her eyebrow in challenge.

"You've got it. I will cease and desist," Tess said.

So Catherine had continued to mingle, still uncomfortable under the desirous gaze of so many men, but knowing that just after midnight she had a bona-fide escape clause approved by her friend.

Catherine turned back toward the lake, pushing up against the balcony railing and took another sip of her water. Another shiver of cold went through her and she wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to use the balcony as refuge before the cold forced her back inside. She looked at her watch. Five minutes to midnight. She could gut out another five minutes in the cold, then dash inside at midnight, give Tess a celebratory hug and head on home.

The swoosh of the balcony's door reached her ears as it opened and closed behind her. Great. Just great. She'd been enjoying her solitude and now someone had the audacity to intrude.

Heavy footsteps sounded behind her - a man. Probably Gabe, who she'd been trying to dodge all night. Or maybe Evan. In the time they'd been together he'd developed friends at the hospital and he'd been invited to tonight's party. Or maybe - God forbid - it was some egotistic, self-absorbed rich guy who'd found her and was making his move. She didn't turn around, trying to give off an air of indifference, which was hard to do when shivering.

The footsteps came closer and stopped behind her. She was startled as something was draped over her shoulders and curled around her. She looked down at the lapels of a man's suit jacket - a very nice and very expensive suit jacket. But she had resolved herself to not take the bait. She wasn't going to give this guy the benefit of a reaction. She'd just shrug the jacket off, wish him a good evening, walk back into the banquet hall and lose herself in the crowd.

She felt the man step back a respectable distance. At least he wasn't so obnoxious as to crowd into her personal space. As Catherine reached with her free hand to push off the jacket her face turned into the lapel. She froze as a scent filled her nose. It was familiar. She returned her hand to the railing and breathed in again, unwilling to believe her senses. One more breath. It wasn't possible.

For an instant Catherine gripped the balcony railing as her knees threatened to buckle. Her heart pounded and she took in several quick breaths, trying to regain her balance and focus her senses. She didn't turn, but stood, immobile, still facing the lake.

A tense moment passed. Then another. The low background rumble of the party permeated the balcony door. The sound of traffic, sparse at this late hour, floated up from below.

This late hour. It's late. Almost midnight, she thought. Almost midnight on New Year's Eve. And he was here.

She took in a breath, fighting hard not to shudder. "Thank you," she said quietly. She let out a short laugh. "First, the coffee shop and now, here. You'd think I'd learn not to run around Chicago without a coat."

"Not to worry. It gives me something to do," came Vincent's gravely voice from behind her, sending tingles down her spine.

Still facing the lake, Catherine said, "How did you find me?"

"I texted Tess. She told me about the party."

"So that's why she was so set on me staying."

"You were going to leave?"

"No reason to stick around."

"I saw Lowen and Marks as Tess brought me through the crowd to the balcony," he said. "I'm sure they'd enjoy your company."

"I have no interest in Gabe. And Evan and I got a divorce," she said, matter of factly.

"So I've heard," Vincent said, matching her tone, then letting out a soft chuckle. "Tess made sure to mention that to me just now - twice."

"So, you see," Catherine said, "no reason to stick around."

Catherine heard Vincent step up close behind her, but he still didn't touch her or brush against her. She could feel the heat radiating off his body and part of her ached for him to press his warm chest into her back, while another part warned her to keep her distance. She found it harder to breathe and her stomach was tied up in knots.

"Could I be that reason?" Vincent asked.

Catherine hesitated, then turned to face him. "Do you want to be?"

His brow was scrunched in worry, small wrinkles radiating out from the corners of his eyes. She met his green eyes, soft and swirling with emotion. Her mind flashed to the desert village when their eyes had first met as he'd helped her out of the Humvee. Despite the intervening years they were the same eyes with the power to look deep into her, to captivate her.

"Yes," he said. "I want to be."

"Why?"

"Because I don't have any other choice."

"But, you do."

"I don't," Vincent said. "I thought I did. I thought I had the choice to protect you, to push you away and keep you from being hurt because you loved me. But I was wrong. I can't push you away any more. It's not for me to make that decision for you. I see that now, and I'm sorry. If you decide we shouldn't be together, then I can accept that."

He took a step closer, reaching out to softly touch her cheek. His rough hands felt good on her skin, familiar and warm.

"I don't want to push you away, either," Catherine said. "And I'm sorry I let you push me away."

"You have nothing to apologize for. It was my-"

She placed her fingers on his lips, silencing him. "I have to fight for this relationship too, Vincent. I can't just roll-over and let you take on all the responsibility and all the burden. When you told Evan to take me home I should have spoken up. I should have made it clear to everyone in the room that - right then and right there - I was already home. And if anyone had any doubts, they just needed to look around." She sighed and placed her hand over his as he caressed her cheek. "But I didn't. And I'm sorry."

"I love you, Catherine. I have since I first touched you. I've never stopped. And I never will." Vincent brought his other hand gently to Catherine's face, stepping in close, brushing against her. "I built a dream. But I didn't realize how empty it was until you filled it - and then you were gone and it was empty again. If it's not too late - if I haven't ruined everything - I want to continue to build that dream. With you. Together."

Vincent's words flowed over her and through her, stealing away the cold emptiness she'd suffered, filling her with a warmth that was, without a doubt, his love for her and her's for him. She closed the distance between them and pushed her head into his chest as he dropped his hands to pull her tightly against him.

"I want to go home," Catherine said, a longing deep inside her swelling to the surface. "I want to build my life with you. Build our life. Our dream."

In the background the crowd in the banquet hall laughed and screamed as they counted down the final seconds to midnight.

Vincent pulled at Catherine's chin and she tilted her head up to look at him. "It's a new year," he said.

"Here's to new beginnings," Catherine said.

"New beginnings," he responded, "for us."

Vincent leaned down and Catherine stretched up until their lips met, christening the new year.

A/N: One more chapter - the Epilogue.