Undercover Disaster

Keiko Fujiwara

Chapter Two:

Vincent's Determination

As Vincent walked back in to the warehouse, JT said, "Everything is all set up, man. I've bought your round-trip ticket and you will be flying on the same plane as Catherine for both trips. The plan will be landing at Greenbrier Valley Airport where a bus will pick you up. I also went ahead and paid for your stay. You said a week right?"

"Yeah…that's what Catherine said it should take." Vincent said as he placed the shovel back to where he grabbed it.

"Okay, well if you need more time, call me and I'll set it up for you. Now, where's my money?" JT asked, putting his hand in front of Vincent. Vincent smirked.

"How much was the grand total?"

"If you give me about $2500, I'll call it a deal." JT replied.

"Okay…$2500 it is." Vincent said as he searched through the bag he took with him to dig the money out.

"Do you need to use one of my cars?"

"Nah…I'll take the city bus. I should be fine riding for fifteen minutes until I get to the airport. To keep you from having an ulcer, I brought extra in case I have emergencies."

"Smart thinking. Remember to CALL me every once in a while. Okay?"

"Got it."

"And don't let yourself get compromised. I mean, of course let Cat know you're there but don't spend every single waking moment with her, okay?"

"Got it."

"One more thing." JT stated.

"What?"

"Have fun. You could use more of that." JT smiled.

"Thanks. I owe you one." Vincent replied before placing his money in his suitcase. He put a roll of cash in his pocket and said, "See ya later."

"Bye." JT smirked as his roommate grabbed his suitcase, the Xanax and his fake identification. 'He has no idea what I just did for him.'

~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~

Vincent made his way back to Catherine's and placed his suitcase on the fire escape so she wouldn't see it. He opened up her window and slid through it, finding her suitcase already packed and ready to go.

He heard the shower running and decided to lie down on her bed and wait for her to finish. The sound of the continuous water falling against her body soothed his mind and before long, his eyes slowly drifted into a deep sleep.

Catherine finally turned off the water of her shower and squeezed the water from her hair. She couldn't help but wonder when Vincent would be back. He was almost never late but then again, JT could have taken his sweet time getting home. It was almost 12:30 PM and she still had about 1.5 hours left until she has to leave.

She reached for her towel and dried her body before stepping out of the shower. As neatly as she could, she wrapped the towel around her body after drying her hair. She turned off the bathroom light as she opened the door and almost screamed if it weren't for the fact that she didn't want to wake up the sleeping Vincent on her bed.

She smiled at the scene before her. Never has she ever seen him sleep before. It was breathtaking to watch him peacefully sleep on top of her bed. So breathtaking, the sight was intoxicating. Catherine walked to the side of her bed and knelt to her knees. While holding her towel with one hand she carefully brushed his soft, brunette bangs from his face.

At that moment, his eyes snapped open to apprehend his surroundings. Realizing he was still in Catherine's room, his heart-rate decreased to normal as his eyes adjusted on the woman standing right in front of him.

"Hey." She smiled.

He sat up and stretched his arms as he yawned. "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's okay. You were obviously tired, Vincent. I don't mind." She said as she sat down next to him.

"You should…uh…you probably should finish getting ready." He slightly blushed as he avoided her gaze.

As if a light bulb just turned on, she finally remembered she was only wearing a towel and immediately stood up, completely embarrassed. "I'll be…I'll be right back."

"Take your time, Catherine. I'll just go back to sleep." He replied, lying back down on her bed.

Catherine ignored his statement and quickly grabbed a pair of black slacks, a purple halter-top and her undergarments before going back to the bathroom. After slipping on her underwear and hooking her bra, she hopped into her black slacks and slid her halter-top over her head before pulling her hair out from underneath the back neck of the shirt. She applied her make-up quickly but carefully after clicking earing studs to her ears. She blow-dried her hair and tied it into a ponytail before opening the bathroom door. Once again, he was fast asleep. 'For a man with super-hearing, he sure can sleep.'

She sat down next to him and slowly shook him awake. "Vincent, I'm back."

He sluggishly opened his eyes and smiled. He could get used to waking up to Catherine's face any day. Sex or no sex.

Once again, he stretched and walked over to her bedside table. "I brought over the Xanax." He picked up the small bottle and handed it to Catherine. "Here you go."

"Thanks." She grinned. She took the bottle, walked into her bathroom and grabbed the empty Xanax container from her medicine cabinet. She twisted the cap open and dumped the pills into her prescription. She placed the now empty Xanax bottle that Vincent brought over into her medicine cabinet to temporarily take the other bottle's space. She would dispose of it later.

She walked back to Vincent and noticed he was sitting on her bed, waiting for her. She sat right next to him and surprisingly, placed her head against his shoulder. "I wish you could go with me."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. "If I could go, what would you imagine us doing?"

"I see ourselves walking along the gardens hand-in-hand as we enjoy the vast beauty around us. I have to admit, I've always wanted to go to Greenbrier but I'd rather go and spend it with someone I know I can have a fantastic time with. That's you, Vincent." She whispered before looking into his dark, brown orbs of life.

"Don't worry," he muttered, "I'll be there."

Catherine looked at him with confusion and he immediately started rebuking his statement. "I mean I'll be there in a figurative kind of way." He took ahold of her hands and added, "When you're over there, just think of me, okay?"

She nodded and leaned her head back down on his shoulder. "Hopefully, Tess, Evan and I will be able to solve this double homicide quickly so I won't have to bear with Evan's promiscuity. The moment we solve the murders, I'll request a single suite."

"If I can, I'll find a way over there, Catherine. I don't care about the risks."

She looked at him with hope but then said, "I would regret it for the rest of my life if you destroy everything you've worked for in the past ten years."

"Catherine, this is my mark to bear, not yours. If something happens to me at any time of my life, it would be all on me." Vincent replied, not wanting Catherine to carry his burden. He placed a strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her on the forehead. "It's about time for you to go, isn't it?"

Catherine looked at her watch and heaved a sigh. "Yeah…if I want to make it there on time, I'll have to leave at least thirty minutes early."

"Alright…I guess I should get going too." Vincent replied as he stroke her hand with his thumb.

"CATHERINE CHANDLER! GET YOUR ASS IN HERE AT ONCE!"

Vincent and Catherine immediately stood up as her sister, Heather, shouted across the apartment.

Catherine headed for her door and Vincent headed for the window. They gave each other one last loving look before Vincent quietly said, "I'll see you around."

She smiled and waved goodbye before leaving him completely frozen on her fire escape. She seriously had no idea what kind of effect she has on him. As he felt the wind blow against him, he shook away his thoughts and picked up his suitcase. There was no possible way Catherine Chandler was going to leave without him. He'll make sure of that.

~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~

Catherine, Tess and Evan were waiting at the airport for their time of departure. To ensure they were not late, Joe wanted them at the airport an hour before their take-off. Catherine and Tess were sitting down at one of the airport benches and Evan was standing.

"Cat, I think it would be wise if we took this time to get our backstory straight. It wouldn't look too good if we disagreed on things."

Catherine sighed. It was now or never.

"Okay, fine." She replied.

Tess stood up and stretched her muscles. "I'm going to go and get something to drink. Do you want anything? I'm buying."

"I'll have a cup of water." Catherine replied with a tired smile. Luckily, she received a text from JT reminding her to take the Xanax pill an hour before they leave. She was grateful for that little reminder. She would have forgotten otherwise.

"I'll have me a large Sprite." Evan replied as Tess walked away.

"On it!" she hollered back.

Evan sat down next to Catherine (a little too close) and leaned in her direction. "I think, our names should be Erik and Olivia Davies. We could be from London, England and our wedding was two days ago."

"Evan, you should know by now that I cannot fake a British accent to save my life. I'm going to have to stay American if this is going to work out."

"Fine…You can be from California."

"No, Evan, I'll be from New York City. Besides, I like my hometown. New York City is too big anyways for anyone to hunt us down. Just say we eloped because your parents wouldn't approve. It's that simple."

"Why my parents? Why not your father? If anything, he's a strict—"

"Remember, Evan, this is just for pretend. It shouldn't matter whose parents do or do not approve. Okay?"

"Fine. But you're still going to be Olivia Davies." Evan pouted as Catherine rolled her eyes.

While the two were discussing their cover story, a certain former doctor was waiting within earshot. He had decided last minute to go back to the warehouse and change his clothing from casual to formal. He thought it wouldn't look right if a person wearing anything less than a formal suit walked into Greenbrier. He had to play his part just like Catherine had to play hers.

Vincent watched as Evan and Catherine interacted, studying their every move. He was proud to say that Catherine looked annoyed and tried to keep her distance from Evan whereas the flirt was trying everything possible to make physical contact with her in any way. This slightly ticked Vincent off but, the mere fact that he was actually going to go to Greenbrier with Catherine (indirectly) calmed his nerves.

He noticed that Tess was on her way back and he swore she glanced at him before looking back at her co-workers. Hopefully, she didn't recognize him or think he was staring at her friends (even though he technically was).

Vincent tuned in closely as he heard Tess say, "So do you to have a cover story?"

Catherine and Evan nodded.

Evan stood up and offered his hand for a handshake. "May I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Erik Davies."

"Nice name. What's yours, Cat?"

"Olivia…" she said with distaste.

"Oooooh! That'll definitely work. Those names sound very rich if you ask me." Tess replied.

"My name will be Regina Valmirez. I'm an immigrated Spaniard from Barcelona. Capish?"

Catherine and Evan laughed as their friend introduces 'herself' to them. They could tell, even though she was going in as a maid, she was having fun with this. Suddenly, they looked at the time and noticed that their plane was boarding passengers.

"Well," Evan said, "I guess we must be off."

They picked up their carry-on bags and chugged down their drinks.

Little did they know that a certain ex-veteran was following them.

~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~

Catherine took her seat towards the back of the plane. She really hated flying and she really hated sitting in the back. Evan and Tess were seated in front of her. With her luck, she was given the outcast ticket. While Tess and Evan converse back and forth, if that's what they plan on doing besides sleeping, Catherine will feel left out. It's hard to listen into conversations when she's more focused on keeping her food down her stomach. The second fear she's always had when flying had to do with the empty seat next to her. For all she knew, some guy named Fat Bubba might have that seat and she'll be even more miserable during the flight. 'Great…just great.'

She leaned back in her chair and buckled herself in. She didn't care if she didn't have to buckle herself, she wanted to feel safe and if she had it her way, she would have planes provide twenty harnesses for each seat. She closed her eyes and prayed that the take-off will soon start so she could not run out like a sissy.

Suddenly, her ears perked up as she heard a very familiar voice say, "Well, if I get the pleasure to sit next to a beautiful woman for the next four hours, I must be doing something right in my life."

She opened her eyes and muttered, "V-vincent?!"

"Hello Catherine Chandler. It's been a long time." Vincent smirked as he stood in the aisle, waiting for Catherine to allow him to take a seat.

"Catherine, you know this man?" Tess asked, pointing to Vincent.

Vincent sat down and said, "Catherine and I go way back. I met her when she was in college."

"College?" Evan asked as he turned around to assess a potential rival.

"Yes." Vincent smiled. "Who ever thought I'd be able to see you again after all this time. In a plane, no less."

Catherine couldn't believe her eyes. She either was hallucinating or he was really there, right next to her. She noticed he was pretending to be an old buddy so Catherine decided to play along. "This is Vincent. He and I met my freshman year. In fact, for a few years, we dated each other."

This little piece of a lie surprised Vincent. He glanced at Evan and silently laughed when he saw the lad's face.

"Cat, what did you say his last name was?" Evan asked.

"She didn't. I'm Vincent Zalanski."

"What do you do for a living, Mr. Zalanski?" Tess asked.

"I'm a doctor…a privately practiced doctor." Vincent replied.

"Where are you from?" Evan raised a brow.

"Denver." Vincent said. He was really enjoying this. Catherine, on the other hand, was a little worried Evan and Tess may ask too many questions.

"What're you doing in New York City?" Tess asked and Evan nodded, wanting to know the same thing.

"I thought I'd explore other parts of the country. I recently moved from Denver and thought a nice vacation was in order. That's why I decided to go to Greenbrier. I haven't been there in years but I remember the service being superb. Catherine, how is your job going?"

"Fine…busy, but fine. Vincent, I've gotta tell you something."

"What?" he asked, pretending to be clueless.

"You remember my line of profession being a cop, right?"

"Yeah…I think you mentioned that over email." Vincent replied, forgetting that email was so not in style anymore.

"Email?" Now it was Tess who raised her eyebrow. "Cat, I thought you don't use email outside of work."

"Oh! I do but that's only to talk with Vincent. You see, he's very old-fashioned. He doesn't like to adapt to change, isn't that right?"

"Yeah." He was glad she covered his butt a few seconds ago. He didn't know what he would have said to counter Tess's question.

"Anyways, Tess, Evan and I are going to Greenbrier as well. We're going as undercover cops so if you ever see me there, call me Olivia Davies. Okay?"

"That sounds like it'll be fun. If you ever need help with the crime scene, don't hesitate to ask." Vincent smiled as he pulled out a notepad and pen. Evan and Tess looked at each other and then faced the seats in front of them.

Catherine was ecstatic that he was actually here. Suddenly, she felt a notepad slip into her hands. There was a note on it:

How did I do?

She took the pen from his hand and wrote:

Great! I almost believed you. How did JT consent to this?

Catherine gave Vincent the notepad and pen, waiting for his answer.

He finally consented after a long period of persuasion.

So that's why JT wanted to know which plane I was leaving on.

Yeah.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seatbelts. We are about to lift off in twenty seconds." A flight attendant warned before sitting down herself. Vincent buckled himself in and he noticed Catherine's pulse increasing.

"I thought you took the medicine." He whispered.

"I did...but that still doesn't destroy the fact that I hate flying." She whispered back, low enough so Tess and Evan couldn't hear her.

Vincent cautiously placed his hand on top of hers and laced his fingers with her. She leaned her head against him, knowing she felt safe with his touch. Evan glanced back at them and was disgusted with how close Catherine and Vincent were. Here is a man who hasn't seen her in nearly ten years and he's already touching her as if those nine years of separation didn't exist at all. Something was fishy about this Vincent guy and he was going to get to the bottom of this.

~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~

An hour has passed since the plane took off from New York. Tess was listening to music, Evan was thinking about how to approach the Vincent-issue, Vincent was busy listening to Catherine's steady heartbeat as she was fast asleep.

Evan finally turned around and asked, "So…you two were a thing in college?"

"Yeah." Vincent lied.

"Why has she never talked about you?" Evan asked, demanding a straight answer from his new rival.

"I ended the relationship. There were some personal issues I had to deal with and I wanted to deal with them alone. It was a great mistake and I'm torn up about it. She probably forgot about me since I basically dropped off of the grid. About six months ago, I saw her name on the TV for cracking the case about that fashion editor...Ashley Webster. As soon as I could, I looked her name up online and found her phone number. I called her and we've been in contact ever since. I suggested we communicate by email because it would kind of like our own private thing." Vincent smirked. "She asked me to come to her father's wedding and, initially, I could but I was called in for work."

"I thought you were a private doctor."

"I am. I work for a private hospital but mostly make house visits for those who can't make their way to the hospital." Vincent replied. If anything, the type of doctor he described was the type of doctor he desired to be: one always helping the helpless in times a need. As of right now, the chances of ever being a doctor again were as slim as him finding another girl like the one lying on his shoulder if she were to ever leave him. The little cover story allows him to be the doctor he's always wanted to be.

"Why weren't you there for her when her mum died?" Evan asked, giving Vincent a dirty look.

"Like I said, I had personal issues and basically dropped off of the grid. I didn't know her mother died until my friend, one who lives in New York City, told me so. I wanted to be there for her but I wasn't sure if she'd allow me back in her life."

"It seems like she is now." Evan said as if those words tasted like venom. "Who was your friend?"

Suddenly, Tess pulled out her earplugs and stated, "Could you two stop throwing mental javelins at one another?! Cat is sleeping and I'm trying to listen to my music! Evan, this isn't the precinct and, as you know, you are not an interrogator. Chill it with the questions. Save your voice for the actual crime scene."

Evan turned back around and said no more. Tess was right, he needed to focus his task at hand—not some silly competition who has already broken Cat's heart once. (Or so he thinks).

While Evan returned to his own little world, Vincent felt Catherine move her head a little as she opened her eyes. "Hey." She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his left arm and snuggled closer to him.

"Hey." He smiled back. "How did you sleep?"

"I think the medicine I took helped a little. Now, I'm hungry." She replied with a goofy face.

"Unfortunately, we're not in first class." Vincent whispered. "But I can do something about that."

"You can?"

"Yes. I can." He smirked and raised his hand for the flight attendant to come their direction.

"May I help you?" she asked as she clung tightly to her pen and clipboard.

"Yes," Vincent stated, "My friend, Catherine, told me she wasn't feeling well due to flight anxiety. Is there any way she can get something to treat her empty stomach?"

"I'm sorry, Sir. The only times we allow second class to receive a meal is when they have a special diet or are on doctor's orders."

"Miss…I am a doctor." Vincent said assertively. "I say she needs food."

"May I see an ID?" she asked.

Vincent dug into his pocket and pulled out his fake medical ID. JT, a few months ago, remade his medical ID and changed all of the information to fit Vincent's little Denver story. Of course, JT did all of this for a joke but who knew it would eventually come in handy?

"Alright, Dr. Zalanski. I'll be sure to bring something over right away." She smiled before walking past them to the very back while clucking her heels against the aisle.

Vincent leaned towards Catherine and said, "See? I told you I could help with that."

"And I never doubted you for a second." Catherine smiled weakly. In truth, she was really out of sorts. She felt a little nauseated but she thinks it has to do with her hungriness. "I'll be right back. I need to use the restroom."

"Do you need help?" Vincent asked and Evan shot him a look as he heard the conversation behind him. "Getting there, I mean."

"No, Vincent, I'll be fine. Thanks for the offer though." Catherine smiled as she unbuckled her harness. She carefully walked towards the front of the plane.

Before she came back, the flight attendant brought a tray with two rolls. "I'm sorry but this was all I could bring out."

"Thanks, she'll be back in a minute so I'll make sure she gets it." Vincent said while taking the tray. The flight attendant smiled and walked towards the front, allowing Catherine to pass in the process. "She brought over two rolls. Will they suffice?"

"Yes, Vincent. Two rolls will be fine. Thanks." She smiled before sitting down.

Vincent waited for her to harness herself in before placing the tray on her lap. As she nibbled on the roll, she couldn't help but see Vincent in a different light. She was used to the dark and mysterious man who yearns to help people in need. When in front of her co-workers, he seems like a completely different person. He's more social and knows how to hold up a conversation without showing that he's lying. She liked this different side to him. It's as almost as if he seems hopeful. Of course, she knows she loves every side of Vincent but the one he's currently portraying was all too new to her. Like he always is, he's acting kind and considerate—only thinking of her. She wondered if it had to do with the fact that her coworkers/friends were keeping a sharp eye on him and he was only making a good first impression. Whatever the reason, Vincent was Vincent; no matter which part of him surfaces. She finished her first roll and started on her second.

Vincent bent down to his carryon and pulled out his pillow as Catherine leaned back against his shoulder. "Do you want the rest of this roll?" Catherine offered a bite-sized piece of bread to Vincent and he smiled.

"Sure."

Vincent took the piece from her hand and plopped it into his mouth. Even though it was a small piece of bread, he wanted to savor it inside his mouth. It was, after all, saturated with Catherine's saliva. "Tell me when we're landing. Okay?"

"Okay." He smiled as he watched her fall back asleep. 'I love you.' he mentally whispered as he subconsciously moved her hair from her face. Evan stared at the two lovebirds as they interacted with each other and now he's giving Vincent a look declaring a challenge.

Vincent smirked, knowing where Catherine's heart lies. If anything, he mainly came on this trip to make sure Evan doesn't touch Catherine in any disrespectful way. He will not allow that to happen. 'Evan Marks, your challenge is accepted.' He thought as he looked at Evan smugly. If only JT could see the look on Evan's face right now. Vincent should earn a medal in JT's eyes for pissing off the guy who kissed Catherine at her birthday party. This little charade is going to be too fun for him. That's for sure.

Vincent kissed Catherine on the head before falling asleep as well. Who knew he'd still be this tired after sleeping for an hour or so at Catherine's earlier that day. But he loved the idea even more as he leaned his head against hers. During the next three hours, he was going to MAKE SURE Evan knows to keep his hands away from Catherine. Catherine, in a loving way, belonged to him and he couldn't just let that go. He was going to fight for her; no matter the costs. He believed that Catherine Chandler belonged to him just as much as he belonged to her. His heart was taken by the very woman pressed up against him. And, at this point, that's all he could ever ask from Catherine and there was no way he was going to take his heart back. She owned him in every little way and he was crazy about her. Not even a man from Britain can deter his feelings from her and he WILL NOT let him deter Catherine from him. He and Catherine are like two peas in a pod; inseparable. Vincent closed his eyes and smiled. His plan, as of right now, was working. The next phase in his operation is Greenbrier—to intervene without being seen.

Keiko Fujiwara:

I felt nice and decided to write chapter two. What did you think about Vincent's appearance? I thought it would be better for Catherine's part if she knew he'd be at Greenbrier watching over her. He sure is the little devil when it comes to plans.

What do you think will happen? By the way, this fanfiction is FAR from over! It is just getting started!

Oh and FYI, I've never flown in a plane before so I don't really know a plane's policy about food and such. My mom said that second class only gets something like peanuts and water. So I based my information over what she said. XD

Please review if you want more! :)