Hey guys, as always thanks for the praise that really is so sweet. And for something I decided to do just for me at first. Seems like I wasn't the only one who needed more of the two of them. So this Alex is still there and she still annoys the F. out of me. Hope I didn't got to biased. Hope you enjoy...

Ps how come that this former short stories are getting longer and longer? ;-)

Vincent : Is this what you wanted to show me?

Alex : No this is.

Vincent:

I have to buy her a new frame was the first straight thought that came to my mind after several minutes that I just kept staring at her. And at the skin, so much uncovered skin. It was like my body and mind head just stopped working. Somewhere in that minutes Alex had left the room, probably disturbed by my Shut down. I hear her opening drawers in her bedroom, getting dressed again and started searching for a broom and dustpan to scoop the shards. While trying to get all that soft skin out of my head. She is still not out of her bedroom when I'm done so I wrote her a note and left. I know it's not the finest move but I wasn't in the state to talk about that mortifying moment with her. I stayed on her roof for a couple hours. I had no Idea what to do, how to explain this mortifying situation. Breathing in the fresh air, while trying to decide if I'm just super in control, because with the adrenaline rush I just had, my beast should at least made a little entrance, but it didn't. Or if I'm the most pathetic guy ever, standing in front of a beautiful and naked women doing nothing but freeze in fear. It's not that I don't wanted to, I did. But also didn't. I don't know it just had felt wrong. I just had met her again. I had came to her to tell her that I couldn't be with her, couldn't see her. But she had somehow made me loose my focus. Maybe the Vincent she once knew would have kissed her before leading her to her bedroom. But I'm not that Person any more, hadn't been in a long time. When I was sure that my mask was back in place I slowly made my way home.

When he got home I had a very strange conversation with J.T., who just couldn't see the opportunity. If I would be with Alex without her knowing, we could run off, hide somewhere at the end of the world where we both could work and stay safe. Catherine and J.T. could get there Life's back, he could be with Sarah... starting a with her. But before we could talk more about this, said Woman stood in our door.

Later that evening I came back to Alex. She was embarrassed and tried to explain it to me, about how she felt it would feel like before and I tried again to tell her that I am changed but as always she only hears what she wants to hear. That was always a flaw of her. To end this nowhere going conversation I asked her about the stealing Catherine saw. She was immediately honest with me, first telling and later showing me the underground hospital. She could never hold a secret from me. I'm uncomfortable with so many Strangers around, these are situations that I usually avoid. It starts with some questions or to hold hear and there and an hour later I'm examine a boys arm. It felt amazing to work again and I know Alex could see it in my face. The way Alex looks at me, so proud and loving reminds me of better times. She had planned this for sure. I had let myself enjoy this hours of practising, knowing that this would never really be an option. What if any one would recognize me or somebody talked to the wrong people about it, than I would have to run again. But she is not getting it, doesn't understand the need of me being invisible. She didn't wanted the evening to end and because it felt good to walk down the memory lane I followed her. I wanted, no needed to tell her to put the photos away, preferably burn them but somehow I couldn't. We talked about the old times, laughed and just each others company. I let her dream of running away with me, starting new somewhere else knowing it wouldn't work.

Until we were standing in front of that closed Ice rank. I somehow had a bad feeling in my gut, I knew this was a bad idea but it just felt too good right now, being so carefree, recreating that life that I couldn't ever have again. Just dreaming about it and having fun with her felt like being myself again. Safe again. Maybe it would work. Maybe there was a chance. With Alex, like this, it could be so easy, she didn't walked on eggshells around me, didn't behaved careful. I was aware of the Reason, she didn't knew all of it, didn't knew the ugly truth of what her former Hero had become. And I was too afraid to tell her, I wanted to be Vinnie Keller again just for a little bit more. Until the police guy showed up and demanded a name. A name I couldn't give him without signing my death certificate, this time for real. Panic flooded my body. I had dreamed to long and would pay for it now. How could I've been so stupid. I begged him for a phone call but with every second that he threatened to arrest me, I got one step closer to the edge. And then hell would break lose...

Catherine: Vincent?

Vincent: Look, I need your help. I think I'm getting arrested.

Catherine:

Oh no, what did they do? Immediately my pulse rate sped up, fear for him closed up my throat. I had to get there now, so I made another lame excuse to Tess and got going. I saw the annoyance and the suspicious look in her eyes, it wouldn't be long until she were pinning me down for answers. It hurt to lie to her, she was one of my best friends and with every day, every lie, I could see the trust she had in me dying a little more. I should start thinking about what I would say to her, because I just couldn't tell her the truth. She was a Cop to the bone, she would never understand. Sitting in my car, driving to the address Vincent had giving me I started to think on a story I could bring to get him out of there. Of all the possibilities the CI thing was the most believable and would leave the fewest traces. So I steeled myself for it, my boiling anger helping me to get in the mood. How could they've been so careless and dumb. Had Vincent forgotten all the rules that held him hidden, protected him? Rules he had made himself. Hitting the breaks I saw them, Alex at the verge of crying while the cop was about to arrest him. As fast as I could while walking confident and strong I yelled at the poor officer. One look at Vincent showed me that this was last minute, he was agitated and his fists were opening and closing repeatedly. I had noticed that it was a coping method for him, a way to calm himself when he felt the beginning of a transformation. The Officer really wanted to mess with me, asking for my badge number. If he would run it, we all were fucked. I threatened him with ruin his career hoping it would work and that he didn't saw my shaking hands.

I tried to stay calm when he finally took of so he didn't got suspicious. But when he sat in his car I turned around, wanting nothing more to get away from here, from this moment and also from Vincent. But he followed me, thanked me and that was the point when I couldn't take it any more. All of the pent up anger flooded out of me, I wanted to make him understand how he brought us all in jeopardy. This wasn't about Alex, no it was about him. How he almost got himself caught for some little fun time with her. Hadn't he thought a minute about J.T., about me? I could've lost my job, my whole career a few minutes ago, didn't he understand? And if he wanted being reckless than okay, but without me. This Danger that we lived in wouldn't disappear. It would always be there, if he was himself or got lost in his old life, trying to play his former self. I wouldn't protect him if he didn't protected himself.

Catherine : I can't compete with the life you had with Alex, but I don't want to give up on us before we even begun. I want to be with you Vincent. And I'm willing to fight for you, I...

Vincent: I... I don't know if my choice is so clear...

Catherine:

I couldn't believe it. Here I sat, opening my heart to him, openly saying that I wanted to be with him. Something I had never done before, never had felt the way about someone before. And he couldn't decide. Couldn't decide for a life with me, me who knew him, all of him, who willingly would take all the risks that came with him. Just to be with him. Not the guy he used to be, him. And he honestly was considering to build up a life on Lies with her, fully knowing how he would always have to hide again. He lied to himself, if he thought that this could work. Somehow he would have to tell her or maybe, in a wrong situation, she would even see it herself. And than she would run. We both knew how to read people, to predict their reactions. No one of us said it out loud but I think we both knew that she would never stay with him if she knew the truth. He said he felt like himself again. If he felt that with her what did he feel with me? I had never seen him as the monster he always saw in himself, had never feared him. How he couldn't see the love in my eyes, the love for him was beyond me. I had taken it all, had protected him and somehow it still wasn't enough.

This morning I had lain in my bed, thinking about what had happened in the night and without all the anger I had understood. Had understood how he desperately wanted a new life without the constant threats, the self doubt and the reminder of what he was. I didn't felt guilty about my outburst last night, I had been right. But I also understood him. Saw his deep wish to be normal, to be accepted. What he didn't saw was that she just loved the thought of him, the memory of what they used to be. And he needed to make her understand that this time would never return. That he lived a different, complicated life now. That he always was in danger of getting hunted, killed. Maybe she wouldn't run but until he didn't told her the truth, all of it, this what they had and planned for would always be just a beautiful dream. But that was not my decision to make, not my story to tell. He had to do it.

When I came home I did something I hadn't done for the last few month. I closed my window. And with that I closed also the door to my heart. I had given him the key to it, it was his decision to use it or to throw it away. And only time would tell...