**I DO NOT OWN THIS SHOW OR THE CHARACTERS IN THE SHOW, I AM JUST BORROWING THEM**

~Catherine~

As the morning sun glared through my window, the thoughts of last night with Vincent kept playing back in my in head. I couldn't help but smile thinking about our late hour conversation, and today was Saturday, so I didn't have to work. Maybe we could go on that date after all tonight. I hop out of bed and make my way to the bathroom to take a hot bath when I hear a knock on the door. While the bath was filling up, I went to open the door to see Zeke standing there.

"Zeke?"

"Yeah Catherine, uh…hi. Can I come in? I really miss you and I was hoping that we could talk."

Is he drunk? Wait…does that really surprise me? I don't want him here if he's drunk.

"No Zeke, you can't come in. Whatever you have to say, you can say it right here."

"Come on Cat….We have history together. Please?"

"That's exactly right, Zeke. History…meaning it is no more. We are not together anymore and quite frankly there is nothing you can say to change that. I'm sorry."

As I try to close the door, Zeke pushes it and tries to make his way inside anyways. I kneed him in his private area, and that only pissed him off more so he back handed me. I fell to the floor not sure of what had just happened. I guess he realizes what he had done and he tried to help me up, "Oh my God, Cat…I'm so…."

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" I said while I cried. "JUST GO ZEKE!" I managed to get back to my feet as he left and I slammed my door shut, locking it in the process. I slid down the door while I continued to cry, not because it hurt, but because he hit me period. I never expected Zeke to be so aggressive because he had never been that way before….he was just annoying. Yes, I have been slapped around before in relationships before him, but it wasn't like him to do that to me.

I return to the bathroom to continue to take my bath when another knock came to my door. I was still shaken by the blow, so in a shaky voice I hollered, "Who is it?"

"Tess. Cat are you okay? I heard a commotion and came over to check on you."

I opened the door, not realizing my right cheek had already began to bruise and Tess gasped, "Oh my God! Cat! What happened?"

I couldn't really say anything, I was still so overwhelmed that I just burst into tears again while Tess held me and directed us back into my apartment. I sat down at the table and Tess put on a pot of coffee, then sat down next to me. "Okay, now tell me what happened."

I didn't even know where to start due to my mind being in so many places at one time.

"Tess, I don't know what happened. He wanted to come in, I wouldn't let him….he tried to come in anyways, so I kneed him and he hit me…..Oh my God….Zeke hit me!"

I bursted into tears again as I leaned into Tess.

"Aww, Cat…..It's okay now. He's gone. You need to go file charges on him and place a restraining order against him."

"No! He's never done this before….this was the first time."

"Yeah? Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is always a first time for everything. I can take you down to the station. Please Cat, you really need to do something about it."

"Even if I wanted to….I work for my dad in a Law Firm….me pressing charges would only give my dad's firm a bad name….I can't do that to my dad."

"Cat, when do you ever think about yourself? If you don't go do this, I will hunt the bastard down myself and arrest him for breaking and entering along with assault. I do live right across the hall…I heard the whole thing."

"Fine. I'll go to the station. But not a word, please! And, I would like to take a bath first. So will you please give me an hour to get ready?"

After I was dressed, I wiped the steam off of the mirror to reveal a purple and blue bruise on the side of my face. It actually looked more painful than it really felt….but it was still too much to take in. I started crying again as I began to apply make-up to my bruise. When finished, I wiped away my remaining tears, and left the apartment with Tess.

When we enter the lobby I see Vincent with his back towards me talking to the landlord of the building. I put my hood of my sweater up I hopes that he wouldn't notice me as I walked by, but then his voice had made my body come to a complete stop when he said my name. I didn't turn towards him to face him…I couldn't and didn't dare to show him my face.

I continued walking outside as he came from behind me, "Hey, Catherine."

I quickly responded, "Hey." Never once did I look up at him. I couldn't bring myself to after what he had said last night about men hitting women.

"Catherine are you okay?"

I paused for a moment, trying to hold back another shower of tears…and finally I said in a shaky voice, "Yeah, I'm fine. I got to go, Vincent. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

He wasn't buying it. He knew I wasn't fine but he seemed to respect that I wanted him to back off and not ask anymore questions. "Alright…I'll see you later Catherine."

Later that evening, I laid around on the couch in complete silence. Hours had passed since I had made my report to police, but I still hadn't received the call that they had presented his restraining order to him yet. I had hoped that they would get it to him soon. I felt my body slowly weakening as I started to drift to sleep.

When I woke up, everything seemed so dark, and blurry. Zeke was hovered over top of me with nothing but pure evil in his eyes. He then said, "I bet you wished you had let me in now." And he raised a crow bar to hit me. I fought him off of me and began running for the door, but when I opened it, he grabbed me and pulled me back inside. He threw me to the ground while he locked the door, and turned towards me as he again raised the crow bar and he swung it at me.

I jumped up screaming and crying as my door was kicked down and Tess came running inside to my aide. "Catherine! It's Tess! Calm down….Its okay, it was just a dream…it was just a dream." I slowly calmed down as Tess rocked me.

We sat at the table and while I tried to collect my thoughts. Tess handed me a cup of coffee but I just stared at it in depression. Had Zeke really broke me so badly that I had given up on life already? I'll admit I was scared to death because Zeke had never hurt me in that way before. It had seemed to have taken control of my life. "Tess?...Can you give me a minute?"

"Sure. Whatever you need. I know you must be traumatized by all of this and maybe some fresh air might help."

I stepped out on the fire escape and leaned on the rail. The wind pulled out some of my hair that was tucked inside of the hood of my sweater, and it actually felt good considering my instant raise of my blood pressure. I heard a knock at the door and I hollered at Tess to get it for me. I could a familiar voice….it was Vincent, "Hey, I'm Vincent. Uhm…is Catherine alright? I heard screaming and came up here as soon as I heard it."

"She's fine now. Had a nightmare is all. She's on the fire escape if you want to come in?"

I force myself to look to the right to prevent him from seeing anything as he walked out onto my fire escape. I didn't want him to see the evidence of Zeke's actions earlier, so I refused to look at him.

"Hey. Catherine, are you alright? I heard screamin…"

"I'm fine, okay!" Tears started to fill my eyes as he slowly took his hand and pushed back the hood that was on my head. I looked down trying to hold back the tears, but I couldn't fight it anymore.

"Catherine your lying to me. What's wrong?"

I continue looking down, as I responded, "I said I was fine Vincent, alright?"

I'm really not alright, but you just don't need to know Vincent, I said to myself as he reached his hand out and placed it under my chin and pulled my face to look at him. Tears began falling from eyes as I saw his reaction to my bruise.

"What the hell happened Catherine?"

Sniffs, "I fell."

"Your lying to me again. I want the truth Catherine."

I began to cry and he wrapped his muscular arms around my tiny figure as I said, "He would never do this to me. I know he wouldn't Vincent. He hit me…..It's not like him to do that."

He pulled from me to look into my eyes, "Who Catherine? Who hit you?!"

I didn't want to say. But he made me feel safe in his arms and it was hard to keep it from him, "Zeke."

His arms released me and anger filled his eyes.

"That bastard!"

"Vincent! Please! I took care of it…I pressed charges and had a restraining order placed against him. Please calm down."

"Calm down? So that's it? We sit and just wait for him to be arrested for this?"

"WE won't do anything. This is my battle not yours."

"Wow, sorry for caring. I'll remember not to next time Catherine."

Why is he being like this? It's not any of his business anyways.

"You don't even know me! I'll be fine!"

He seemed stunned at my choice of words and I begin to feel guilty about what I said, "Vincent, I'm sorry I am jus….."

"I get it. I'm sorry I bothered you. I hope you feel better Catherine."

I begin crying as he walked away. He cared about me? How am I supposed to feel right now, because I think I'm beginning to like him…a lot and as bad as I want to run after him and have him hold me again, I just couldn't bring myself to do so.

~Vincent-Moments Earlier~

I entered my apartment after working on the club. I had went there because after my dream about Catherine, I couldn't go back to sleep. I began going through my mail and found a letter from the Health Department, opening it instantly. It read,

Dear Mr. Keller,

We are happy to announce to you that we will be fixing the remainder repairs of your night club, Kellers. We want to make New York businesses the finest around and we would be thrilled to help you. Please come in and confirm that you have received notice of this letter so that we may begin on your business immediately. The funds are fully covered by the NYFD, on behalf of your deceased family members, and donations were also received by the Fallen Heroes Foundation. We hope that you accept this offer of generosity. Thank you for your time!

Elizabeth Cordele

Department Management

New York Health Department

Is this real? Is this really happening? I lay the letter down in front of me as I sit down at the table starring at it.

I jump up and walk outside on my fire escape and began wondering whether or not to accept such a generous offer to help when I hear screams coming from Catherine's apartment. I ran as fast as I could up the stairs until I make my way to her door. After I knocked, another woman answered the door.

"Hey, I'm Vincent. Uhm…is Catherine alright? I heard screaming and came up here as soon as I heard it."

"She's fine now. Had a nightmare is all. She's on the fire escape if you want to come in?"

I hope that she's alright. She seemed really off this morning…I hated to think that something drastic had happened, but it made sense to how she had been acting. As I approached her she looked away from me. What is she hiding? What is wrong?

"Hey. Catherine, are you alright? I heard screamin…"

"I'm fine, okay!"

She's lying. Why else would she snap at you?

"Catherine your lying to me. What's wrong?"

"I said I was fine Vincent, alright?"

I may not know enough about her to be able to tell if she's lying or not, but her actions were speaking louder than her words. I reached out to remove the hood that blocked me from seeing her face, and secured my hand under her chin so that I could look at her. What the hell! Why does she have a bruise on her face? And who put it there?

"What the hell happened Catherine?"

"I fell."

"Your lying to me again. I want the truth Catherine."

She began crying and it pained me so badly. She was hurt….badly hurt. Not only physically, but emotionally too. I wrapped my arms around her to try to bring her comfort. Her tiny figure fit perfectly in my arms and it felt so right to have her there. She then continued, "He would never do this to me. I know he wouldn't Vincent. He hit me…..It's not like him to do that."

So she was slapped down….this really pisses me off and as my heart raced, pumping my blood through my veins…I was so boiled by this that it burned!

"Who Catherine? Who hit you?!"

"Zeke."

Wait til I get my hands on him! He better not even dare to come around Catherine again!

"That bastard!"

"Vincent! Please! I took care of it…I pressed charges and had a restraining order placed against him. Please calm down."

How does she expected me calm down when she knows that I can't men that abuse women?!

"Calm down? So that's it? We sit and just wait for him to be arrested for this?"

"WE won't do anything. This is my battle not yours."

Why is she doing this to me? I only want to protect her. But I guess I need to back out now….

"Wow, sorry for caring. I'll remember not to next time Catherine."

"You don't even know me! I'll be fine!"

I deserved that I supposed. Even though it was true, it broke my heart for her to say that to me. I don't know what to say to that.

"Vincent, I'm sorry I am jus….."

"I get it. I'm sorry I bothered you. I hope you feel better Catherine."

I truly meant what I said when I told her i cared. I hated seeing her like this and I honestly wanted to grab her and hold her for as long as it would take her to heal from this….but that wasn't how things turned out. I left instead.

**A/N: Do you need oxygen? Are you okay? You can breathe now. This chapter was intense for myself that I found myself taking breaks while writing it. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews for chapter 3. I will keep some of your requests in mind...I will not promise that I will use all of the requests, but I will think about them lol. Chapter 4 question(s) is Why do you think Zeke snapped so suddenly? And why was he there in the first place? Do you think Vincent will go looking for Zeke himself instead of the letting the Law do their job, or will he leave it alone? Will Catherine lose her job, or do you think she will quit temporarily? Let me know your thoughts by posting a review. Thanks so much! Love you guys!**