I know that I am probably taking entirely too long on this story, but I do love it so much, I don't want to miss a minute of their time in Cancun. Thanks too all that are reviewing, I am so glad that you are enjoying it.
This is going to get a little darker before the dawn. Hope you like it.
She was dreaming that she knew. She was in the underground river again, but the current was stronger and pulled her at a pace that she was uncomfortable with. The light was bright above her, but it only made the shadows at the sides of the cavern even darker.
Strong arms held her, and at first she thought that it was Jim, but when she turned to see, she was it was Eddie. Repulsion at the thought of him touching her again causes her to push away from him. That only made him draw her closer, and the more she struggled, the stronger he became.
"Let me go Eddie," she cried.
"You belong to me Cat, always have, always will," Eddie cooed to her, drawing her in for a kiss. It felt so real; she even smelt his cologne as he drew nearer. His lips touched hers, and then she realized how cold his lips were. She looked up at him and saw that his face had changed. Eddie was dead, his skin was a bluish green, leaves and other items from the sewer were entangled in his hair.
"Mine…" the thing called Eddie cried as Catherine kicked with all her might and pushed him away from her. The current picked her up and he soon disappeared as she raced down the river. Her heart was pounding in her chest. The smell of decay was still in her nose as she tried to blow it to get rid of the smell. She didn't know how she was going to get out of the river so she cried out for help. In no time she saw a man with a lifeguard's hook stretching it out towards her. She grabbed it without even looking at the man.
"I've got you," the man said, and the voice sounded familiar to Catherine. "But then, I always could get you now, couldn't I Ms. Willows?" She looked up to see Adam Nowak, the lawyer that she dated off an on with. His eyes were lit up, and a grin spread across his face like a Cheshire cat. The hook, which looked to her at first as a chance for salvation, became an instrument of death. She didn't want to go with him. He frightened her with his laugh and his features changed before her eyes to look like a demonic being instead of the man she knew. Letting go of the hook, the current took her again.
Faster and faster she went. She didn't cry out for help, she feared who else she would see. As she went down the river, she saw the end of the trip, but instead of the bay where Jim and she found themselves, there was a whirlpool. It looked like someone took out the plug from the bottom, and all the water was getting sucked into the chasm below. Catherine fought against the current, swimming as hard as she could but it did no good. She was sinking into the whirlpool. As she looked down, she could see dry ground at the bottom, and standing there was her father Sam. He lay at the bottom like a broken doll, much like he was in her arms when he breathed her last. She didn't want to end up like him. Sam had all the wealth in the world, but no one to share it with. The only family that came to his funeral was Lily, herself and Lindsey. It was a bleak funeral to be sure.
Catherine fought like never before trying to get out of the whirlpool. She would not be like her father. She would not make the same mistakes he did. She would love someone, and be loved in return. She had something to live for, and she was willing to fight for it.
She started kicking Jim as she slept. The smile that he saw before he went to sleep now was gone. It took everything that he had not to wake her up, fearing he would do more damage than good. She was screaming, trying to kick Jim away from her. All he could do was grab onto her, and try to calm her down by talking to her as gently as he could, like a father to a child who had a bad dream.
"Shh, Catherine, it's okay. It's just a dream baby, calm down. I'm here, don't be scared."
She was sinking. Water was starting to close in over her head. Suddenly from above there was a man's arm reaching down and grasping hers. She was frightened, but she feared the whirlpool more than what the man had in store for her. She grabbed onto the arm and was flung up out of the water into a man's arms. The arms held her tight.
The man whispered words into her ear, "I'm here, don't be scared."
She turned to the voice, and was relieved to see that it was Jim holding her. She held onto him tightly, and he wouldn't let go.
The morning came quickly enough. Catherine was exhausted; the nightmare didn't let her rest like she needed. She knew that Jim wanted to go out and see the sights, but she didn't feel up to it yet.
She turned over to look at him. He had his arm around her protectively. Flat on his back, his chest rising a falling in a slow rhythm, he looked like he was getting plenty of rest. She envied him for it. Truth be known, Jim didn't get a lot of sleep that night. He was so wound up that it was hard for him to get to sleep, and her outburst in the middle of the night made it so he had difficulty to go back to sleep until he was sure that she wasn't having the nightmare. She didn't know any of this however. All she knew was that being here with him was the best decision that she made and she was willing to do whatever it took to keep this man with her.
If there was one thing that she learned from the dream she had was that she wasn't going to make the same mistakes her father made. She wasn't going die alone. In that whirlpool where she felt all was lost, Jim was there to pull her out. In many ways that dream already came true.
After Sam died, she was robotic at best. The shell of Catherine was the same, but inside she was dying. She didn't believe in hope anymore. She didn't have faith that one day one person could make a difference in her life. Life was dull, with no hope for anything to change. She started to seriously consider leaving Vegas all together when Lindsey graduated and maybe go to Miami. She didn't care where; just somewhere she could make a fresh start. She wanted a second chance at life.
Now, with Jim lying next to her, she saw that second chance. The love that he showed to her this weekend gave her the hope back that she needed. He was that one person that could make a difference. She didn't have to go anywhere, she just had to trust that this man laying here beside her would love her better and more deeply than any man that she had in the past. He was nothing like them, and that is what made it perfect in her eyes.
Last night on the couch, when he told her to stop, and that he didn't want to rush, confused her at first. All she ever knew before was what a man "wanted" from her. Some of the time it was sex. Well, before Jim, it was always about sex. He showed her that she could be a lady of worth and distinction. He loved her for who she was, not for what she could give. It took her breath away to think about it.
She was glad that they stopped when they did. She realized that waiting for it gave it more meaning, and she would appreciate it more when they finally did. This went against everything she knew, and for once, it felt right.
I'll take it one step at a time, Catherine thought, just as long as Jim is right there next to me.
Good? Please let me know what you think.