Running felt simple, satisfying… calming… Was it his beastly parts acting up or his natural preference for physical relief - he didn't know and didn't really cared. It just felt right every time he ran…
Every time except now. Nothing felt right now.
He has done wrong by her, he knew that. He knew that even then, in her little apartment, when he was shouting those obscure accusations…
He had no right. He moved on or it seemed that way… Hell, he himself for the briefest of moments thought that he moved on, that Alex could be it… But every time he tried to catch that moment, to look deeper into it, it was overshadowed by the image of Catherine…
I accept all of what you are…
What have you done, Keller?! What have you done?! You screwed up your chance and accused her of using her chance with somebody else… What have you done?!
You are a coward, Keller! Pathetic coward! You manage to hurt people whether you in or out of your beastly form! You SHOULD be concealed from the humankind! Especially from Catherine!
His pace was slower now - physically he could go on for hours but emotional heaviness mounted over him and made it so hard even to walk…
His phone rang. JT.
- Man, where the hell are you? Cat said you left an hour ago and I should check on you when you arrive and you still haven't! What has happened? Have you fugued out on her? She sounded pretty bummed…
Vincent took a second to process the implications of JT's words:
- Wait, what? Catherine called? When? What did she tell you?
One can't get JT off track so easily:
- Man, first things first - how are you? Any foreseeable blackouts? Should I come pick you up? Where are you anyway?
Vincent gritted his teeth:
- JT, I'm all right, citizens of New York can sleep peacefully today, the beast is on the leash. What about Catherine? What did she tell you?
- Oh, she said that you may need some medical assistance in calming down so I should look into it once you come back… and that she hasn't had a chance to give you the documents so she will see me tomorrow… and that…
JT kept saying something Vincent couldn't quit hear because a bigger part of his supersences was attuned to the fact that Catherine cared! She called JT because she cared! Even after everything he said…
But there was something else he missed… what was it?
- Wait, JT, what documents?
The voice on the other side of the line was not amused:
- Sure thing, let me re-tell you everything I've been telling you for the last five minutes! I get such a kick off repetition!
But Vincent was way more irritated to fall for this:
- JT, shut up! What was it about the documents? Tell me now!
JT chuckled:
- Shut up or tell? Some consistency, please! - but before Vincent could interject with profanities JT added the actual answer:
- She said that Evan has got some breakthrough in you DNA research and he was pretty exited about that. So Cat took off to charm some ADA jerk so he would give her a look into those files since Evan is unexpectedly tight-lipped about it. She called me earlier saying that she got the papers but only till tomorrow so she will copy them and bring back to campus tomorrow. I thought she would give them to you since you've met today… why haven't she?
No, no, no! It isn't happening! It isn't!
Is it?
- JT, come again with that part where she charms somebody for these documents?
Response was dismissive:
- Dunno, some guy was hitting on her at work, she said it may help her to get the documents we needed… But what's up, man?
- Oh, JT, hella lot is up! I won't be coming back home tonight. But I'll be all right! At least, I hope so…
Worried interruption:
- What do you mean, "hope so"? Where are you off to?
- Man, really, I'll be fine! No beasting out tonight, I promise!
- OK, man, I trust you. Game is about to start, I'm out…
- JT, wait!
- Ugrhh! What?!
- I'm not turning into female clown-fish. I'm turning into brainless mono-cell organism. Note that down in my medical records!
JT said in a serious tone:
- Sure thing, I will add "mono-cell" part, the rest is given, man! Good luck!
And he started running. In the opposite direction.